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SENATOR TELLER 


A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF HIS FIFTH ELECTION TO THE 
UNITED STATES SENATE 


TOGETHER WITH 


A SKETCH OF THE PRECEDING POLITICAL EVENTS 
IN THE CONTEST FOR BIMETALISM IN THE 
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN OF 1896 


BY 

THOS. F. DAWSON 

. H 


WASHINGTON, D. C. 

JUDD & detweieer, PRINTERS 
1898 



The ’primary , and indeed the only , object of this pamphlet is to com¬ 
ply with a quite general request from the participants for a souvenir of 
the election in 1897 of Hon. Henry M. Teller to the United States Senate 
for the fifth time , by the almost unanimous vote of both houses of the 
Colorado Legislature and by the consolidated votes of all the parties but 
one represented in that body. An introductory sketch of the preceding 
events in the United States Senate and in the Colorado State convention 
and the National Republican convention fog ether with other occurrences 
relevant to the contest for the restoration of the double-standard system 
of finance for the United States , which marked the campaign of 1896 , 
has been deemed necessary to the proper understanding of the signifi¬ 
cance of the election itself; and a brief biographical sketch is added in 
order to make the volume complete. The pamphlet is therefore prepared 
only to meet a demand from friends in Colorado. 


"Us. Cl S'Ucou. 


The election of Hon. Henry M. Teller as a United States Senator 
from Colorado in January, 1897, for the fifth time, was accom¬ 
panied and preceded by so many unusual circumstances that 
the event has been thought by his friends to be one worthy of 
more attention than is ordinarily given to such occurrences, im¬ 
portant as they are at all times to those directly concerned, or 
determinative though they may be of the trend of a State’s or 
the nation’s affairs. 

As is too well known to require repetition, Mr. Teller was a 
moving factor in the political events of 1896—’97, and the record 
of his course for that period is not an unimportant part of the 
history of one of the most striking political campaigns of the 
country’s history. Hence it is believed that a brief presentation 
of his participation in these occurrences in their chronological 
order will not be devoid of interest. These occurrences in the 
political world were the immediate forerunners of his reelection 
and may be summarized as follows: 

I. The refusal in February, 1896, of certain Republican mem¬ 
bers of the United States Senate, of whom Senator Teller was 
one, to vote for what was then known as the Dingley tariff bill 
uncoupled with a provision for the free coinage of silver. 

II. The declaration by Senator Teller that free coinage was 
the paramount issue before the American people, and that he 
would not support for office the nominee of any party which 
opposed this policy. 

HI. The unanimous selection by the Colorado State conven¬ 
tion of Senator Teller as chairman of the State delegation to the 
National Republican convention at St. Louis, with instructions 
to the other members of the delegation to be guided in the course 
they might pursue in the national convention by his judgment. 

IV. The withdrawal of the Colorado and other State delega¬ 
tions from the St. Louis convention, the organization of the 
Silver Republican party, and their support of Hon. William J. 
Bryan, the Democratic nominee, for the Presidency. 

V. The reelection of Mr. Teller to the United States Senate by 
the Colorado legislature by the vote of 92 to 6. 

( 3 ) 


4 


SENATOR TELLER. 


The most dramatic of these events was the departure of the 
Silver men from the St. Louis convention after Mr. Teller had 
presented the report of the minority of the Committee on Resolu¬ 
tions and it had been rejected; but this occurrence received a 
greater degree of attention than the others of the series only be¬ 
cause it transpired in the face of the assembled multitude and 
was the public climax of many other events leading up to it 
and contributing to its importance. This withdrawal was ac¬ 
cepted by some persons as in the nature of a surprise, but it 
need not have been so regarded if tbe words of the retiring mem¬ 
bers of the convention and the action of the State conventions 
which had chosen them as the representatives of their respective 
States at this convention had been sufficiently heeded. Senator 
Teller had been especially outspoken. 

ACTION IN THE SENATE. 

The State convention which had chosen Mr. Teller to be the 
head of the Colorado delegation in the national convention had 
echoed and endorsed without reservation his independent senti¬ 
ments, as expressed in Congress and elsewhere, and this action 
on the part of the Colorado convention followed quickly upon 
the refusal of the United States Senate to agree to the considera¬ 
tion of legislation either giving Congressional authority for the 
issuance of bonds or for increasing the revenue. Mr. Teller was 
one of the movers in inciting the Senate to assume this position, 
and it was this action on his part that led to his selection in so 
marked a manner to head the State delegation to the St. Louis 
convention. 

The vote in the Senate with reference to the bond proposition 
was taken on the 30th day of January, 1896, and in this case a 
House bill providing for the issuance by the Secretary of the 
Treasury of 3 per cent time-call bonds was returned to the body 
in which it had originated as a bill providing for tbe free coin¬ 
age of silver, which had been substituted in the Senate for the 
measure as it came from the House. 

This action was followed on the 13th of February of the same 
year by a positive refusal on the part of the Senate to take up 
a measure which also had passed the House and which was 
entitled “A bill to temporarily increase revenue to meet tbe ex- 



SENATOR TELLER. 


5 


penses of the government and to provide against a deficiency.” 
This was then known as “ The Dingley bill,” after the name of 
its author, and it levied additional duties for the purpose of 
meeting the deficiencies in the revenues under the Gorman- 
Wilson bill. 

Senator Morrill attempted to secure consideration of the bill 
on the 13th of February, and in doing so moved to displace the 
general deficiency appropriation bill, of which Senator Teller, 
as a member of the Committee on Appropriations, was in charge. 
The vote resulted in 21 yeas and 29 nays; hence the motion to 
consider was lost and the Senate refused to take up the bill. 
'The vote in detail was as follows: 


Yeas. 


Aldrich, 

Frye, 

Nelson, 

Sherman, 

Allison, 

Hawley, 

Perkins, 

Squire, 

Brown, 

Hoar, 

Pettigrew, 

Warren. 

Cameron, 

McMillan, 

Platt, 


Clark, 

Mitchell, Oregon, 

Proctor, 


Cullom, 

Morrill, 

Quay, 



Nays. 


Allen, 

Chilton, 

Mantle, 

Turpie, 

Bacon, 

Cockerell, 

Morgan, 

Vest, 

Bate, 

Dubois, 

Pasco, 

Vilas, 

Berry, 

George, 

Peffer, 

Voorhees. 

Brice, 

Gorman, 

Pugh, 

Walthall. 

Butler, 

Gray, 

Roach, 


Call, 

Hill, 

Smith, 


Carter, 

Jones, Nevada, 

Teller, 



There were 39 Senators who, because of absence or for the 
reason that they were paired with absentees, did not vote. 

The important fact was soon discovered that four Republicans 
had cast their vote with those opposing consideration of the 
tariff bill—a sufficient number to have created a tie if they had 
voted in the affirmative. These were Carter, Dubois, Mantle, 
and Teller. On the 25th of the same month Mr. Morrill again 
made an effort to get up the bill, and the motion for considera¬ 
tion was again voted down, the vote this time standing 22 to 33. 
On this ballot the name of Senator Cannon, of Utah, was added 
to the list of Republicans who cast their votes against the rev¬ 
enue measure. 


6 


SENATOR TELLER. 


PRE-CONVENTION UTTERANCES. 

It became evident now that these Republican Senators had 
definitely determined to antagonize any financial or tariff 1 legis¬ 
lation which did not recognize the claims of silver. Mr. Mor¬ 
rill stated that he would not again attempt to secure considera¬ 
tion for the tariff hill. Mr. Frye said it was evident that the 
bill was as u dead as Julius Caesar,” and other Republican Sen¬ 
ators took the same view of the situation. Accordingly there 
was no effort to resuscitate the hill. It was, however, the sub¬ 
ject for many speeches made during the remainder of the ses¬ 
sion, in which the Silver Republicans found abundant oppor¬ 
tunity to make their position clear. 

On the day when the last vote was taken on the tariff hill 
Mr. Teller charged that it was never intended that the hill should 
become a law, hut that it was introduced for the purpose of 
making tariff and not finance the issue in the approaching Pres¬ 
idential campaign. “ We can,” he said in a speech made in the 
Senate on that day, “get along without the party as well as the 
party can get along without us ; but we deny the right of either 
the newspapers or the members of the Committee on Finance to 
read us out of the party.” To this declaration he added the 
following: 

“ We shall stay in the party until we get ready to get out, and 
we shall discuss these important questions, not from a partisan 
standpoint, but from the standpoint of American Senators charged 
with great interests; charged with doing that which the Senate 
has shown itself incompetent to do; * * * charged with 
bringing to this country prosperity which has been denied it 
under our legislation now for 20 years; charged to devise some 
s} T stem that shall satisfy the people that we can enter upon that 
degree of prosperity to which we are entitled by reason of ad¬ 
vantages which exist in this country.” 

From this time forth the probable future course of the Repub¬ 
lican Senators who had refused to stand by those measures 
which had been made especial tests of party loyalty became 
the subject of much speculation not only in the Senate but 
throughout the country. It was recognized that only the na¬ 
tional party convention to be held in the following June could 
bring the absolute test, and this was awaited with much interest. 





SENATOR TELLER. 


7 


The Senators made no threats, but most of them lost no oppor 
tunity to say that their adherence to the party would depend 
upon the party’s treatment of the Silver question by the con¬ 
vention. 

Senator Teller was among the most outspoken on this point, 
repeating in various forms the expression of his firm conviction 
that the financial question was paramount to all others, and 
declaring over and again his lack of sympathy with any party 
which did not take this view of the question and declare for the 
free coinage of silver on terms of equality with gold. He made 
a speech in the Senate on the 29th of April, in which he prob¬ 
ably made as clear an outline of his intention toward the Re¬ 
publican party as was given previous to the St. Louis convention. 
In this speech he said, among other things : 

“ I am often asked what I will do if the political party with 
which I have been connected and to which I am attached and 
of whose record, on the whole, I am proud—what I will do if 
that party adopts the gold standard and puts itself in line with 
those who are demanding that gold,, and gold alone, shall meas¬ 
ure the values of the world. I have no hesitation in saying here, 
Mr. President, as I have said before, that whenever the political 
organization to which I belong ceases to represent my sentiments 
and my judgment on great and fundamental principles I shall 
cease to act with it. When the Democratic party, in which I 
had been brought up, in which I was educated, and to which I 
had an attachment growing out of the fact that my people had 
been members of it ever since it was organized, and because I 
had been taught to believe in its principles, became, as I be¬ 
lieved, the party of oppression and wickedness, I got out of it 
and I went into the party which represented my views and my 
ideas, although it was then a weak and despised party. 

“ I should despise myself, holding the views I do, if I should 
lift my hand to put in power any man who could from the Exec¬ 
utive Chamber use the slightest influence to continue the exist¬ 
ing system of finance. Holding, as I do, that the interest of the 
whole race is wrapped up in this question ; that it is not only 
for our interest, but the interest of the world—for I believe all 
peoples are interested in it, and that if we do not restore the 
par of exchange between the gold-standard and the silver-using 
countries inside of a generation that we shall transform Christen¬ 
dom into Asiatic conditions and we shall put the laborers of 
Christendom under Asiatic pay as well as under Asiatic condi¬ 
tions—believing this, as I do, I should despise myself, as you 
ought to despise me, if I did not lift my voice against a system 


8 


SENATOR TELLER. 


threatening such danger; and if I should lift my voice for one 
course and vote for another, you would have a right to accuse 
me of hypocrisy and deceit. As 1 speak, Mr. President, so shall 
I vote, in the interest, as I believe, of the great masses of men 
in this country; and in the interest, as I believe, of the great 
masses of men throughout Christendom.” [Applause in the 
galleries.] 


SENATOR TELLER. 


9 


COLORADO STATE CONVENTION. 

As the time for the State convention in Colorado to select del¬ 
egates to the National Republican convention was rapidly ap¬ 
proaching, Mr. Teller’s position became one of intense interest 
in the State. Some of his friends had begun to insist that he 
should allow the use of his name as a candidate for the position 
of chairman of the State delegation. This he was at first loath 
to do, but after much persuasion, on the ground that his acqui¬ 
escence and selection were necessary to emphasize the position 
of the State on the financial question, he consented, on the con¬ 
dition that he should be in nowise hampered in his conduct at 
the convention by instructions and only after he had taken every 
precaution to have his position entirely understood by the peo¬ 
ple of the State, and especially by the delegates to the conven¬ 
tion. He wrote and sent many letters and telegrams to this end, 
among others the following to Hon. Irving Howbert, chairman of 
the Colorado State Republican committee: 

“ Washington, May 11, 1896. 

“ Hon. Irving Howbert, 

“Colorado Springs: 

“ I wish to say to the State convention, through you, that I 
do not desire to go to the national convention, and cannot go 
unless the State convention is in accordance with my ideas in 
declaring that in the coming campaign the silver question is the 
paramount issue. 

“The State convention should act with the full knowledge 
that I do not intend to support a candidate on a gold-standard 
platform or on a platform of doubtful construction. 

“ If this course puts me out of sympathy with the Republican 
sentiment of the State, as a portion of the Republican press 
allege it will, I will accept that result with all its logical conse¬ 
quences in preference to an abandonment of principles and sat¬ 
isfaction of a record made, as I conceive, under the instructions 
of every Republican State convention held in Colorado during 
the last twelve years. 

“ H. M. Teller.” 

This telegram was read to the State convention which assem¬ 
bled at Pueblo on the 14th of May. 


10 


SENATOR TELLER. 


As a result of the deliberations of this convention, Mr. Teller 
was unanimously chosen as the first delegate-at-large from Col¬ 
orado to the St. Louis convention, his selection being made a 
part of the platform—an unusual proceeding. The other mem¬ 
bers of the delegation were chosen by ballot and instructed to 
follow Mr. Teller’s leadership at the National convention. This 
action with reference to Mr. Teller and the instructions to the 
other delegates are found in the tenth plank of the platform, 
which was as follows: 

“ That we declare to the Republican party of the nation and 
to the world that our senior Senator in Congress, the Honorable 
Henry M. Teller, has our unqualified approval and support in 
the position he has so ably maintained in Congress for the cause 
of the free coinage of silver and its relation to the tariff; for his 
resistance to the repeal of the law providing for the purchase of 
4,500,000 ounces of silver per month, and for his continued op¬ 
position to the attempt to fix upon the country the gold stand¬ 
ard and the maintenance of it by the sale of bonds and other¬ 
wise. We recognize in Senator Teller the ablest living exponent 
of the true principles of American finance and the most fearless 
and intelligent advocate in public life of the financial system 
which will best promote the comfort and prosperity of the whole 
people and the whole world, and the delegates selected by this 
convention are hereby instructed to act in harmony with the 
views of the Honorable Henry M. Teller as to the course to be 
pursued by the Colorado delegation in the national convention, 
and that Senator Teller is hereby selected as a delegate and ap¬ 
pointed to lead the delegation to the St. Louis convention.” 

The State delegation to the Republican national convention 
at St. Louis was composed as follows: 

“At large: Henry M. Teller, Gilpin county; Frank C. Goudy, 
Arapahoe; J. W. Rockefeller, Gunnison ; J. M. Downing, Pitkin. 

“First district: A. INI. Stevenson, Arapahoe; J. F. Vivian, 
Jefferson. 

“ Second district: C. H. Brickenstein, Conejos; C. J. Hart 
Pueblo.” 

The district delegates were not bound by the instructions of 
the State convention, but they acted in harmony with the dele- 
gates-at-large, and with Messrs. Goudy, Rockefeller, and Down¬ 
ing and other silver delegates left the national convention when 
Mr. Teller did. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


11 


REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION. 

The story of the proceedings of the St. Louis convention and 
of the part the Silver Republicans took in it has been widely 
told. They attempted to secure what they considered a proper 
recognition of the demands of silver, and, failing in that, 25 of 
them walked out of the convention in a body on the second day 
of the proceedings. The departing delegation contained all the 
Senators, except Mr. Carter, who had joined in the position in 
the Senate that there could be no tariff legislation without silver 
legislation, and in addition included Senator Pettigrew, of South 
Dakota, who had not voted on the tariff bill when the question 
of its consideration came up in the Senate. 

IN COMMITTEE. 

Previous, however, to the action in the national convention 
there was a protracted and fierce struggle in the Committee on 
Resolutions. Mr. Teller was a member of this committee, as he 
was of the subcommittee appointed to frame the financial plank, 
and in both the full committee and the subcommittee he, with 
other silver advocates, made a determined fight for a just recog¬ 
nition of silver, though realizing from the beginning that they 
were contending against such odds that they must inevitably be 
overwhelmed in the end. He offered various substitutes for the 
plank agreed upon by the majority, all in the interest of the 
free coinage of the white metal, but all were alike voted down. 
The end was not reached in committee until the close of a strug¬ 
gle that was almost continuous for a day and night. The fol¬ 
lowing from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, a Republican news¬ 
paper, of the 18th of June, gives a dispassionate general view 
of the situation in the committee: 

kC The Silver wing of the National Republican convention 
showed its strength yesterday when the Committee on Resolu¬ 
tions was considering the financial plank. By common consent, 
United States Senator Henry M. Teller, of Colorado, led the 
fight of the Silverites, and it must be said that the following he 
developed before the question was finally decided was of no 


12 


SENATOR TELLER. 


mean proportions. Ten States and Territories rallied around 
the free-silver banner, which, including the Colorado vote, gave 
the opposition to gold eleven votes in the committee. 

“ During the debate on the currency plank the Silverites 
brought to bear almost every strategy known to statesmen to 
carry the committee for silver, or at least a compromise plank 
in the platform which would give to silver some distinguishing- 
place in the financial policy of the national party. Resolutions, 
amendments, and substitutes were set forth, backed by eloquent 
oratory, but each time they were wiped out of existence by the 
committee’s great majority against the white metal. 

“Senator Teller pleaded with the committee for the recogni¬ 
tion of silver, but it turned a deaf ear to every proposition he 
made. Then he warned the committee against totally ignoring 
silver. The warning was accompanied by intimations of a prob¬ 
able bolt on the part of the Silver States and Territories; but 
the friends of sound money continued to cling to their ideal cur¬ 
rency—gold. 

“ Finally the crisis came. The silver men announced formally 
that if the committee sent a sound-money plank to the conven¬ 
tion for ratification they would bolt the latter body then and 
there. But Senator Teller realized that the white metallists yet 
had a chance to fight for their cause on the floor of the conven¬ 
tion, and he advised his followers to do nothing that would in¬ 
jure silver in the Auditorium. ‘ Wait,’ he said, ‘until we get 
before the convention. There we will submit our ultimatum in 
the shape of a minority report, and then if we are ignored, there 
is plenty of time for us to bolt.’ ” 

The committee-room was the scene of an animated debate, 
and almost all the advocates of the silver substitute made 
speeches—some of them several speeches. Among the speakers 
were Senators Teller, of Colorado; Cannon, of Utah, and Dubois, 
of Idaho; Congressman Hartman, of Montana, and Delegates 
Lemmon, of California; Cleveland, of Nevada, and Mott, of 
North Carolina. Here the Silver Republicans announced in 
definite terms their intention to bolt the convention in case of its 
declaration for the gold standard. Senator Teller said, among 
other things: 

“ I do not intend to debate this question. I am speaking now 
in defense of my conduct when I shall declare publicly, as I 
shall do. that in this I cannot act with the Republican party. 
It is no small thing for a man to break up his political associa¬ 
tions. No man is justified in doing this except upon great prin¬ 
ciples. No man would be justified, in my judgment, to object 


SENATOR TELLER. 


13 


to the personnel of a candidate ; but when you adopt a principle, 
and ask me to sustain it, and to make it one of the features of a 
great political organization, that I believe to be destructive to the 
interests of the whole country, then I must be explicit in my 
language. 

^ ^ >fc ^ # 

“ I shall break from the party of my youth, and the party of 
my choice, and the party of my service, and the party that has 
given me honors as few men have been given honors, with a 
heart feeling as though I was going to my grave and as though 
I was burying my best friend ; but the conviction that it is not 
a duty to my people alone, but a duty which 1 owe to you and 
to the whole world, compels me to say here what I will say to 
the convention as my answer to the result of your deliberations : 
From it I will have to go away, having performed what is to me 
one of the most painful actions of my whole life. And yet, Mr. 
Chairman, I would despise myself, believing in the supreme 
importance of this question, if I failed to make any sacrifice 
that I ought to make; if I failed because of the taunts that will 
come to me when I shall have left the party; but I must do 
my duty as my judgment tells me to do it. 

“ Mr. President, I am going out. I am going to fight for the 
principle, and I have the belief in my heart that some day this 
great party that has done so much for the human race, and of 
whose future so much was hoped and expected, will come to a 
right view upon this question, and that we shall not take our 
declaration from Wall street or from Lombard street, but from 
the honest sentiment of the great heart of the American people ; 
and if you will consult that heart and let Wall street alone, you 
will abandon that platform that declares for the gold standard.” 

There were also speeches by delegates who represented the 
opposite view. With one or two exceptions, these utterances 
were tinged with evident feelings of regret at the prospective 
rupture in the party, and showed the prevailing sentiment to¬ 
ward the free-coinage advocates to be one “more of sorrow than 
of anger.” At least one member of the committee spoke of deep 
personal regret over the prospect of the loss of the cooperation 
of those who had heretofore been leaders of the party, and espe¬ 
cially over the severance of party ties with Mr. Teller. This was 
Senator Lodge, who was the representative of the State of Mas¬ 
sachusetts on the committee, who said : 

“ I do not desire to discuss either the money question or the 
history of the tariff of 1890. I wish simply to say a single word 
in regard to the statement made here by Senator Teller. Sen- 


14 


SENATOR TELLER. 


ator Teller is a man of profound convictions, of great learning, 
and when we come to the parting of the ways as we have now 
and the party has decided by its majority, from what 1 feel to 
be the same honest conviction which he feels on his side, to go, 
as I believe, in the right direction, I cannot allow what he has 
said to pass without a word. I wish to say for myself, what I 
believe I say for everybody else, that we accept and understand 
his position ; that we honor him as a man of courage and con¬ 
viction, and that he takes with him, not only the profound re¬ 
gret of all Republicans that he should feel it to be his duty to 
act as he does, but also their sincere and entire respect.” 

When the vote in committee was taken the Teller substitute 
for the free coinage of silver, which was the same as that pre¬ 
sented the next day in the convention, was voted down, the vote 
standing 11 for to 40 against, the affirmative votes being as fol¬ 
lows : California, Allen B. Lemmon; Colorado, H. M. Teller; 
Idaho, Fred T. Dubois; Montana, Charles Hartman; Nevada, 
A. C. Cleveland; North Carolina, M. L. Mott; Utah, F. J. Cannon; 
Wyoming, B. F. Fowler; also the members from Arizona and 
New Mexico. 


IN THE CONVENTION. 

On the next day, the 18th of June, the real crisis came in the 
convention in the presence of a dense mass of humanity which 
filled every nook and corner of the vast hall and strained every 
nerve to hear and see what was being done. 

The report of the Committee on Resolutions was called for and 
presented by Hon. J. B. Foraker, Senator-elect from Ohio. The 
Associated Press in describing the scene said : 

“ One of the most crucial moments of the convention was at 
hand. The chairman announced that he would recognize to 
move a substitute for the majority report the gentleman from 
Colorado, Mr. Teller. 

“ The name of Teller set the Westerners wild. In little scat¬ 
tering squads the handfuls of delegations who had been sitting 
under the banners of Colorado, of Idaho, of Utah, of Nevada, 
California, and Montana, and some of those from Tennessee and 
other Western and Southern States, were on their feet waving, 
hats, flags, umbrellas, fans, and handkerchiefs and shrieking, 
like mad. The fire spread to the galleries and swept across them 
until they seemed to be almost unanimously carrying on the 
cheer. 

“ Then there fell over the house a deep, profound calm. The 


SENATOR TELLER. 


15 


people listened while the clerk proceeded to read the substitute 
platform, as follows: 

“ ‘ We, the undersigned members of the Committee on Resolu¬ 
tions, being unable to agree with that portion of the majority 
report which treats of the subjects of coinage and finance, respect¬ 
fully submit the'following paragraph as a substitute therefor: 

“ 1 The Republican party favors the use of both gold and silver 
as equal standard money, and pledges its power to secure the 
free, unrestricted, and independent coinage of gold and silver at 
our mints at the ratio of sixteen parts of silver to one of gold.’ 

“ Senator Teller was deeply aroused by the emotions that 
stirred him and his gestures at times were almost fierce. Rut 
his general tone was one of sadness and regret. He was given a 
most respectful hearing by the delegates, but, except from those 
in sympathy with him, there was no demonstration on the floor 
in the early part of his address. The galleries, however, were 
at times vociferous, and when he vehemently asserted the power 
of the United States to control its own affairs without dictation 
from Europe in the matter of finance or anything else, many of 
the delegates were drawn into the display of enthusiasm by the 
wild tumult.” 


MR. TELLER’S SPEECH. 

In presenting the minority report Senator Teller said: 

Gentlemen of the Convention : I will not attempt to enter 
upon a discussion of the great financial question which is divid¬ 
ing the people, not only of this country, but of the whole world. 
The few moments allotted to me by the convention will not en¬ 
able me to more than state in the briefest possible manner my 
objections and the objections of those who stand with me to the 
financial plank proposed for your consideration. I am a prac¬ 
tical man, and I recognize the conditions existing in this con¬ 
vention, foreshadowed, as they were, by the action of the Com¬ 
mittee on Resolutions selected by the representatives assembled 
from the different States. 

The proposition contained in this plank was presented to the 
whole committee, and by it rejected. Loyalty to my own opinion 
no less than consideration for the great interest that is felt in 
this country compels me, in the face of unusual difficulties, to 
present thfs substitute for your consideration, not with that 
bounding hope or with that assurance that I have felt in pre¬ 
senting similar propositions in other bodies, where I have met 
with greater measure of success than I can hope for here. The 
great and supreme importance of this question is alone my ex¬ 
cuse for the few words that I shall say to you now. 

In a public capacity I have dealt with this subject now for 
20 years. I represent a State that produces silver, but I want 


16 


SENATOR TELLER. 


to say to you here and now that my advocacy of the policy of 
free coinage is notin the slightest degree influenced or controlled 
by that fact. [Applause; and a voice, “ Good ! ”] 

I contend for it because I believe there can be no proper finan¬ 
cial system in any country in the world that does not recognize 
this principle of bimetallism. 

I contend for it because since 1873, when it was ruthlessly 
stricken from our statutes, there has been a continued depre¬ 
ciation of all the products of human labor and human energy. 

I contend for it because in this year of 1896 the American 
people are in greater distress than they ever were in their his¬ 
tory. 

I contend for it because our present financial system is, m my 
judgment, the great weight, the great incubus, that has discour¬ 
aged enterprise and destroyed progress in this favored land of 
ours. 

I contend for it because I believe the progress of my countr} 7 
is dependent on it. 

I contend for it because I. believe the civilization of the world 
is to be determined by its rightful or wrongful solution. 

I am tolerant of those who differ from me. I act from my 
judgment, enlightened as best I have been able to enlighten it 
by many years of study and of thought. In my judgment, the 
American people in the whole line of their history have never 
been called upon to settle a question of greater importance to 
them than this question of the currency. The great contest in 
which many of you participated, which was to determine whether 
we should have two flags or one, was not more important to the 
American people than the question of a proper solution of what 
shall be the money system of this land. 

I have said enough to convince you that I think that this is 
not a question of policy, but a question of principle. It is not 
a mere idle thing, but one on which hangs the happiness, the 
prosperity, the morality, and the independence of American 
labor and American producers. [Applause.] 

Confronted for the first time in the history of this glorious 
party of ours with a danger of a financial policy that, in my 
judgment, will be destructive to all the great interests of this 
land, we are called upon to give this provision of our platform 
our adhesion or rejection. Mr. President, I do not desire to say 
unkind or unfriendly things, and I will say in a moment, and 
only take a moment in which to say it, why I object to this pro¬ 
vision of the platform. The Republican party has never been 
the party of a single standard. [Applause on the right.] It was 
a bimetallic party in its origin and it has been a bimetallic party 
in all its history. In 1888 it declared for bimetallism ; in 1892 
it declared for bimetallism; in 1896 it declares for a single gold 
standard. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


17 


Mr. President, in 1888 we carried the State that I here repre¬ 
sent. For whom? For the Republican nominee. We carried 
it on a bimetallic platform. We carried it with a majority that 
was equal, considering our vote, to that of any State in the 
Union. It has been a Republican State from the hour of its 
admission. It has kept in the Senate Republican Senators and 
in the House Republican members. 

I promised you that I would not discuss the silver question, 
and 1 will not do so further except to repeat that this platform 
is such a distinct departure from any policy heretofore enun¬ 
ciated by the Republican party that it challenges our Republi¬ 
canism to accept it. 

The platform contains some platitudes about international 
conferences. It provides that we shall maintain the gold stand¬ 
ard in this country until the principal nations of the world shall 
agree that we may do otherwise. Sir, this is the first great 
gathering of Republicans since this party was organized that 
has declared the inability of the American people to control 
their own affairs. [Great applause.] 

To my horror, this declaration comes from the great political 
party of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Do you be¬ 
lieve that the American people are too weak to actually main¬ 
tain a financial system of their own fruition commensurate with 
the greatness of the country? Gentlemen of the convention, 
you will have no bimetallic agreement with all the great com¬ 
mercial nations of the world. It cannot be obtained ; therefore 
this is a declaration that the gold standard is to be put upon 
this country and kept upon it for all time. Do you believe that 
Great Britain, the great commercial nation of the world, our 
powerful competitor in commerce and trade, will ever agree to 
open her mints to the free coinage of silver or consent that we 
shall open ours as long as she gets the advantage of the low 
prices and the declining values that have been brought to this 
country by the adoption of a gold standard? We are the great 
debtor nation of the world ; Great Britain is the great creditor. 
We pay her every year millions and hundreds of millions of 
dollars which count as income on her investments in this coun¬ 
try or interest on her loans. The gold standard, in my judg¬ 
ment, lowers prices and decreases values. Great Britain buys 
of us millions and millions more than she sells, and she buys 
upon a gold standard—a lowering and depreciating standard. 
How long do you think it will be before she will agree to a sys¬ 
tem of finance that raises the price of the farm products or the 
products of the mines in this country ? 

It is a solemn declaration that the Republican party intends 
to maintain low prices and stagnated business for all time to 
come. [Cheers from the Silver States.] 


18 


SENATOR TELLER. 


There is a beautiful provision in this platform about the tariff. 
Mr. President, 1 subscribe to that. [Applause and cheers from 
all over the house.] 1 believe in a protective tariff*. [More ap¬ 
plause.] 1 have advocated it for forty years. [Applause.] But it 
is my solemn conviction that a protective tariff cannot be main¬ 
tained upon a gold standard. [Applause and cheers from the 
•Silver people.] The tariff-protective principle is for the raising 
of the price ol human toil, it is for giving to the producer am¬ 
ple compensation for his labor. The gold standard, on the con¬ 
trary, everywhere it is enforced, is for the purpose of reducing 
values. 

Now, gentlemen of the convention, I am going to make the 
one simple observation as to the protective system that it is in 
danger; and, having done that, 1 will call your attention to one 
other fact, and then I will leave it to your judgment whether 
this platform shall be adopted or rejected. fJnder existing con¬ 
ditions we undoubtedly have the gold standard. I do not deny 
that; but what I have sought for twenty years is to change it to 
the bimetallic system. 1 have believed, and 1 now believe, that 
when the Almighty created the twin metals of gold and silver 
he intended that the world should use them for the purposes for 
which they were created. [Applause from the Silver men.] And 
when he blessed this land of ours with more gold and more silver 
than any other country in the world, he meant that we should 
use them as standard money. We today reverse the traditions 
of our country and declare we will use only one. If the Amer¬ 
ican people are in favor of that system, and 1 can be convinced 
that such is the fact, I can have little more to say. We must 
all submit to the majority vote and the majority voice in this 
country. I do not believe this party of ours, if it could be polled, 
is favorable of the single gold standard. I believe that 90 per 
cent of the American people are in favor of bimetallism of the 
old fashioned kind that existed in the United States up to 1873. 

Mr. President and gentlemen of the convention, I promised 
you that I would consume but little of your time, and I believe 
I am allowed only a few minutes more in which 1 can rapidly 
address you. I want, however, to say a few things which may 
seem to you to be personal and which perhaps ought not to be 
introduced in an assemblage like this. I must beg your indul¬ 
gence if 1 seem to transcend the proprieties of this occasion in 
saying some things personal to myself. 

I have formed my convictions on this great question of the 
finances after twenty years of study, after twenty years of care¬ 
ful thought and careful reading. I have been trained in a 
school that it seems to me ought to fit me fairly well for reach¬ 
ing just conclusions from established facts. I have formed my 
conclusions to such an extent that they become binding on my 
conscience. I believe that the adoption of the gold standard in 


SENATOR TELLER. 


19 


the United States will work great hardship; that it will increase 
the distress, and that no legislation touching the tariff can re¬ 
move the difficulties that now all admit prevail. I believe that 
the whole welfare of my race is dependent upon a rightful solu¬ 
tion of this question; that the morality, the civilization—nay, 
the very religion—of my country is at stake in this contest. 1 
know and you know T that men in distress are neither patriotic 
nor brave. You and I know that hunger and distress will 
destroy patriotism and love of country. If you would have love 
of country, patriotic fervor, and independence, you must have 
your citizens well fed and comfortably clothed. That is what 
made me a Republican in 1853; that is what made me a Re¬ 
publican during all these years—because 1 believed that the 
Republican party stood for the great masses of men; that its 
legislation was intended to lift up and elevate and hold up and 
sustain the unfortunate and the distressed and give all Amer¬ 
ican citizens equal opportunities before the law. [Applause.] 
I do not believe that these blessings can be had with the gold 
standard. 

You may doubt my judgment, and many of you will do so; 
but shall 1 doubt it? 1 must act upon my judgment and not 
upon yours. I must answer to my conscience and not to my 
neighbor’s., I must do my duty as it is presented to me and 
not as presented to you. 1 say to you how, that I may hasten 
my remarks, that with the solemn conviction upon me that this 
gold plank means ultimate disaster and distress to my fellow- 
man I cannot subscribe to it, and if it is adopted I must as an 
honest man sever my connection with the political organization 
that makes that one of'the main articles of its faith. [Pro¬ 
longed applause.] 

I repeat here what I said yesterday in the Committee on Reso¬ 
lutions : I would not upon my own judgment alone, carefully 
as I have attempted to prepare it, dare to take this step. My 
friends, I am sustained in my views of the danger that is coming 
to us and coming to the world by the adoption of the gold stand¬ 
ard by the intelligence of the entire world. They may say that 
the silver question is a craze. Let me tell you that the best 
thought of Europe, the best thought of the world, is with the ad¬ 
vocates of bimetallism. All the great political teachers of Europe, 
with the exception of five or six, are the pronounced advocates 
of bimetallism—unrestricted and unrestrained bimetallism. All 
of the great teachers of political economy in the European col¬ 
leges, without exception, favor bimetallism. 

My own judgment, based, as I have said to you, on painstaking 
preparation and study for twenty years, bears me out and puts 
me in accord w r ith them, and I would be recreant to my trust, 
given to me by the people of my State, if I failed to protest here 
and if I failed when the Republican party makes this one of the 


20 


SENATOR TELLER. 


tenets of its faith, to sever my connection from that party. [Ap¬ 
plause, and cries of “ No, no ! ”] 

Mr. President, I ask your kind permission to say still a few 
things more personal to myself, and when I shall have said them, 
having told you what my conscience demands that 1 should do, 
i will leave this question for your decision. 

Do you suppose that myself and my associates who act with 
me and take the same view of this question that 1 do—do you 
suppose that we can take this step without distress ? Do you 
suppose that we could take it for any personal advantage or any 
honor that could be conferred upon us ? To us it is a question 
of duty. You may nominate in this convention any man you 
may choose;—if you will put him on the right kind of a plat¬ 
form I will vote for him. You may use any methods to nom¬ 
inate him that you think ]3roper;—1 will defer to your judgment 
and support him, if the platform is a right one. But when you 
ask me here, now, to surrender to you my principles, as an hon¬ 
est man I cannot do that. I realize what it will cost us. I fore¬ 
see the gibes and sneers and the contumely that will be heaped 
upon us. But, my fellow-citizens, I have been through this be¬ 
fore, before the political party to which you belong had a being. 
I have advocated a cause more unpopular than the Silver cause. 
I have stood for the doctrine of free men, free homes, and free 
speech. I am used to detraction; I am used to abuse, and I 
have had it heaped upon me without stint. 

When the Republican party was organized I was there. It 
has never had a national candidate since it was organized that 
my voice has not been raised in his support. It has never had 
a great principle enunciated in its platform that has not had my 
approbation until now. With its great leaders, its distinguished 
men of forty years, I have been in close communion, and with 
many of them on terms of close friendship. I have shared 
in its honors and in its few defeats and disasters. Do you think 
that we can sever our connection with a party like this unless 
it be as a matter of duty—a duty not to our respective States 
only, but a duty to all the people of this great land ? [Applause.] 

Mr. President, there are few men in the Republican party who 
have been honored more than X have by the people of their re¬ 
spective States. There are few men in this convention or any¬ 
where else who have been longer connected with this organiza¬ 
tion than I have been. There are few men in it who have been 
more active, and none in it—no, not one—who have been more 
attached to the great principles of this party than I have been ; 
and I cannot go out of it without heart burnings and a feeling 
that no man can appreciate who has not endured it. Y^et I can¬ 
not, before my country and my God, agree to that provision 
that shall put upon this country a gold standard; and I will 
not. [Great applause.] 




SENATOR TELLER. 


21 


I do not care what may be the result. If the step takes me 
out of political life, I will go out with a feeling that, at least, I 
maintained my consistency and my manhood; that my con¬ 
science is clear, and that my country will have no right to find 
fault with me. [Cheers.] 

I beg your pardon for saying things so personal, but yet if a 
personal act that to some implies perfidy and dishonor is about 
to be performed, I think it but just to myself and my associates 
that I should proclaim to you that we take this step, not in anger, 
notin pique, not because we dislike the prospective nominee, 
but because our consciences require as honest men that we should 
make this sacrifice—for sacrifice we feel that it is. 

Thank you, gentlemen, for your kind attention. Retiring 
from you as I do, perhaps never again to have an opportunity 
of addressing a Republican convention, I cannot do so without 
saying that, after all, I have in my heart a hope—nay, I have 
an expectation—that the party will yet change its policy, and 
that if you should be foolish enough to adopt this platform now 
and force us to at this time leave the Republican party, better 
counsels will yet prevail and, ultimately, on a true Republican 
platform, sustaining Republican principles, I may have the 
inestimable privilege of again addressing you. 

Following Senator Teller’s speech cam'e a motion from Mr. 
Foraker to lay the substitute on the table, which w T as carried by 
a vote of 818? to 105 2 . “ This pronounced defeat of the Silver 

forces,” said the St. Louis Republic in describing the scene, u threw 
the gold-standard delegates into a paroxysm of delight; negroes 
from the South, Harvard graduates from New England, Wall 
street representatives from New York, and the ‘ influenced ’ dele¬ 
gates from the central West, together with the McKinley rooters 
from everywhere, shouted and clapped their hands, stood in 
their chairs and waved handkerchiefs, flags, and canes.” 


PROTEST OF THE SILVER MEN. 

The majority report, pronouncing for the maintenance of the 
gold standand until an international agreement could be se¬ 
cured, was then adopted without division, and after the reading 
by Senator Cannon, of Utah, of a formal protest signed by rep¬ 
resentatives of the Silver men, the climax toward which events 
had been steadily drifting for six months was reached in the 
withdrawal of 25 of the Silver delegates from the conven¬ 
tion. The reading of this document was accomplished in the 


22 


SENATOR TELLER. 


face of much opposing demonstration, but it was courageously 
done, and it won for the Utah Senator many encomiums even 
from among those who opposed him. 

After reviewing briefly the financial legislation, the attitude 
of the Republican party on the money question in the past, and 
contrasting it with the declaration of the day, the document 
was held aloft by Mr. Cannon, and, shaking the index finger 
of his right hand menacingly at the delegates before him, 
he shouted, “ To such an unholy achievement we will not lend 
ourselves. Dear as has been the Republican name to its adhe¬ 
rents, that name is not so dear as the faith itself, and we do not 
abate one jot or tittle of the mighty principles by which Repub¬ 
licanism has uplifted the world, when we say that at this part¬ 
ing of the ways we cling to the faith—let the name go where it 
will.” The conclusion of the address declared the Silver posi¬ 
tion in this language: 

“Accepting the fiat of this convention as the present purpose 
of the party, we withdraw from this convention and return to 
our constituents the authority with which they invested us, be¬ 
lieving that we will better discharge their trust by this act, which 
restores to them the authority unsullied, than by giving cowardly 
and insincere indorsement to the greatest wrong ever willfully 
attempted within the Republican party, once the redeemer of 
the people, but now about to become their oppressor, unless 
providentially restrained.” 

The Silver men then made their exit from the hall amid much 
excitement, the method of which was described by a current 
newspaper account as follows : 

“All this while Senator Teller remained quietly seated. He 
now arose and attempted to make his way out of the hall by the 
north entrance. Something stopped him. Thurston shook his 
hand. Cannon came up about the same time, shook hands with 
Chairman Thurston, and also with Senator Foraker. Something 
was said, but the Colorado Senator and the Senator from Utah 
started down the aisle, followed by Dubois and the Idaho dele¬ 
gation, part of the Montana delegation, the full delegations from 
Colorado and Nevada, and a small army of newspaper men. 
The convention was in the wildest sort of an uproar, but the 
Silver men made their way out, although they were interrupted 
by numerous persons trying to say a word to them.” 


SENATOR TELLER. 


23 


THE SILVER PARTY ORGANIZED* 


After the withdrawal from the convention the Silver men, with 
the exception of Senator Teller, met at the St. Nicholas hotel, 
practically organized the Silver Republican party, and issued a 
manifesto giving the reasons for their action, and presenting the 
name of Senator Teller for the office of President of the United 
States. Following is a portion of this address: 

kl We do not arrogate to ourselves one iota more of intelli¬ 
gence, patriotism, or courage than is possessed by any of our 
fellow-citizens, but we feel that the time has come for the per¬ 
formance of a duty to the country, and for our part, though we 
stand alone, we will make an endeavor in the direction of that 
duty. Parties may outlive their usefulness; the truth never 
becomes obsolete. Every general convention of freemen has 
the right to affirm the truths of past knowledge and present re¬ 
quirements, and if the enforcement of these truths shall make 
necessary a departure from party organization, the people have 
this right and will exercise it until old parties shall return to 
the truth or new parties shall be created to effect it into law. 
If the voices which have sounded to us from every State in this 
Union are an indication of the real feeling, this year is the ap¬ 
pointed time for the people to assert themselves through such 
mediums as may give best promise of the achievement of jus¬ 
tice ; but, whether we are mistaken or have not mistaken our own 
duty in withdrawing from the Republican convention, feeling 
that it is better to be right and with the mi nor it} 7 in apparent 
defeat than to be wrong with the majority in apparent triumph, 
we hold that in the great work of social evolution in this country 
monetary reform stands as the first requisite. No policy, how¬ 
ever promising of good results, can take its place. 

“Continuation during the next four years upon the present 
financial system will bring down on the American people that 
cloud of impending evil to avert which should be the first 
thought of statesmen and the first prayer of patriots. Our very 
institutions are at stake. Today, with rapidly increasing popu¬ 
lation, with widely swelling demands, the basis of our money 
is relatively contracting, and the people are passing into a servi¬ 
tude all the more dangerous because it is not physically appar¬ 
ent. The nation itself, as to other nations, is losing the sturdy 
courage which could make it defiant in the face of injustice and 
internal wrong. From the farmer and the tradesman to the 


24 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Government there is apparent the shrinking from giving effense, 
lest the vengeance of some offended financial power should de¬ 
scend. The business man submits some portion of his judg¬ 
ment and his will, and the nation submits some portion of its 
international right, lest some mighty foreign creditor shall 
make destructive demands. Where will all this end if the 
people shall decline to assert themselves? Where will it end 
if the older parties, in.the determination to maintain themselves 
in power for power’s sake alone, shall refuse to recognize the 
right and hope of humanity?” 

% % >(c >fc ^ 

“The restoration of bimetallism by this country will double the 
basis of our money system. In time it will double the stock of 
primary money of the world—will stop falling prices and stead¬ 
ily elevate them until they will regain their normal relation to 
the volume of debts and credits of the world. Bimetallism will 
help to bring about the great hope of every social reformer, every 
believer in the advancement of the race who realizes that the in¬ 
stability of prices has been the deadly foe of our toilers and the 
servant of the foreign interest-gatherer. Bimetallism will help to 
bring the time when a certain expenditure of human toil will 
produce a certain fi nancial result. Who among the great masses 
of our people in the United States but feels that his lot would be 
made better, his aspiration take new wings, if he could know in 
the performance of his labor what would be the price of his pro¬ 
duct? Is not this purpose worth the attention of the people as 
individuals and worth the attention of political conventions vet 
to be held in this year, 1896? Is not this so great an end that 
all who believe in the possibility of attaining it by the means 
proposed can yield something of their partisanship both in con¬ 
ventions and at the polls? 

“ It is in the hope that the masses and the remaining conven¬ 
tions will have the courage and the generosity to unite for this 
purpose that we have dared to offer our views to the people of 
the United States; and because in the past there has lacked a 
rallying point for the masses who hold, as we do, to this belief, 
we venture an act, trusting it will be received in the same spirit 
of conciliation, concession, and hope in which we put it forth. 

“ We have endeavored in a plain way to set the matter before 
the eves of our fellow-citizens. We invoke the union of all men 
and all parties who believe that the time has come for the triumph 
of justice. It is an hour when the people may speak for them¬ 
selves as individuals and through conventions yet to be held. It 
is the right of every citizen to indicate his preference. 

“ With this in view , we offer to the forthcoming conventions and to 
the people the name of a man for the Presidency of the United States 
whose life , in public and in private , represents those distinguished, vir¬ 
tues which adorned the days arid the deeds of the earlier times of this 


SENATOR TELLER. 


25 


Republic , a return to which virtues is requisite for the prosperity and 
contentment of the people , and the perpetuity and commanding example 
of free institutions. 

“That name is Henry M. Teller—a man of the people and for the 
people. He is of no section. His experience and service , his devotion 
to the common justice and the common cause of his fellow-citizens, have 
been as wide as the country. We believe that the people of the United 
States have in their hearts the knowledge that he has their interest in 
his purpose through all the work of an exalted life. 

u It is not merely as the exponent of monetary reform that we 
present this man to the people. It is true that he has waged a 
mighty war for the restoration of the money of the Constitution, 
and his name has been identified as that of' no other living man 
with this great cause. But had his services been less demanded 
and less noticed in this direction, the people would still have 
recognized in him for other labors a statesman of the purest type. 
His only poverty has been that of purse; in all things else— 
in the generosities of man to man, in kindliness of deeds for his 
fellows, and in the study and the doing of a mighty career—he 
has been one of the most opulent American citizens of any age. 

“ In submitting this name to the people we remind them that 
just a generation ago, from the heart of the boundless West, and 
touched by the finger of God, there arose an emancipator who 
was powerful in the work of human deliverance. By his wisdom 
and courage, providentially directed, millions were set free and 
the nation kept in its holy union. If others shall see this op- 
portunity as we see it, if our fellow-citizens shall see this duty 
as we see it, that sublime history may be repeated, and another 
man, clothed in the majesty of devotion to the race, will be lifted 
to power, where, by his wisdom and courage, providentially di¬ 
rected, more millions may be made free from bonds as galling 
as those of actual slavery, and the nation may be preserved in 
the unity of its mission to the world. 

“Dated at St. Louis, June 19, 1896.” 

This document was signed by the following-named persons: 

Fred. T. Dubois, Idaho; R. F. Pettigrew, South Dakota; 
Frank J. Cannon, Utah; Charles S. Hartman, Montana; Clar¬ 
ence E. Allen, Utah; Ben. E. Rich, Idaho; R. C. Cleveland, 
Nevada; Willis Sweet, Idaho; A. B. Campbell, Idaho; Archie 
M. Stevenson, Colorado; Enoch Strother, Nevada; James M. 
Downing, Colorado; Charles H. Brickenstein, Colorado ; Thomas 
Kearns, Utah ; C. J. Hart, Colorado; Lyttleton Price, Idaho ; 
Jacob J. Elliott, Colorado ; 0. J. Salisbury, Utah ; J. B. Overton, 
Nevada ; Frank C. Goudy, Colorado ; John F. Vivian, Colorado ; 
J, W, Rockefeller, Colorado; Robert M. Bonynge, Colorado; 


John M.Williams, Colorado, delegates and alternates or national 
committeemen. 


POPULIST INDORSEMENT. 

Two days afterwards, on the 21st of June, twenty-six of the 
leading members of the Populist party who had been in St. Louis 
during the convention also issued an address suggesting the 
candidacy of Mr. Teller for the Presidency. This document 
was signed by H. E. Taubeneck, Illinois; J. H. Davis, Texas; 
M. C. Rankin, Indiana; T. M. Patterson, Colorado; J. Hugh 
McDowell, Tennessee; John P. Stelle, Illinois; Thomas Fletcher, 
Arkansas; Howards. Taylor, Illinois; Homer Prince, Arkan¬ 
sas; J. W. Dollison, Arkansas; M. R. Coffman, Arkansas; J. A. 
Edgerton, Nebraska; R. A.Sankey, Kansas; Charles E. Palmer, 
Illinois; F. D. Enger, Nebraska; J. D. Hess, Illinois; A. L. 
Maxwell, Illinois; George M. Jackson, Arkansas; S. J. Wright, 
Texas ; S. P. V. Arnold, Illinois; Eugene Smith, Illinois; W.J. 
Quick, Missouri; Calvin K. Reifsneider, Missouri; Frank E. 
Richey, Missouri; W. J. Flatt, Tennessee, and Horace J. Clark, 
Colorado. 

The opening paragraph of this paper was as follows: 

“ Expressly disclaiming any purpose or right to bind any 
party or persons by the views here set forth, we but yield to an 
overpowering sense of duty in saying what we do to members of 
the People’s party and to all other good citizens who, apprehend¬ 
ing the approach of a momentous crisis in our country’s life, are 
willing to avert it by acts of exalted patriotism. We came to 
St. Louis as citizens, members of the People’s party, to be pre¬ 
sent at the meetings of the National Republican convention that 
we might determine more definitely for ourselves the true aim 
of that organization in the present struggle.” 

Proceeding, they say the convention was boss-ridden, and that 
only united action on the part of those opposed to the money 
power could stay its hand. It was declared that the convention 
had forced an issue that must be met. “ It is a challenge to the 
yeomen of the land,” it continued, and proceeded by saying: 

“ If it is declined, or if it shall succeed, the fetters of a tyranny 
more grinding than that of czars or emperors will be driven 
upon the plain people of the country—fetters which must be in¬ 
definitely worn with the contemptible spirit inseparable from 


SENATOR TELLER. 


27 


willing serfs, or in the end be broken with the irresistible power 
of a mighty revolution. 

“ That issue is formulated in the demands that the * existing 
gold standard must be preserved,’ and for the enactment of 4 all 
measures designed to maintain inviolably the obligations of the 
United States and all our money—either coin or paper—at the 
present standard.’ This means that silver shall be permanently 
degraded into mere money of change, and that it be deprived of 
its legal-tender quality, except for some paltry sum ; that the 
greenback and all other forms of Government paper money shall 
be redeemed and destroyed, and that the national banks shall 
be swollen into a power of triple their present ability to contract 
the volume of money, to absorb the earnings of industry, and to 
grip the throat of all industrial and commercial life, while from 
time to time it terrorizes the voters into a choice of its tools for 
all legislative, judicial, and administrative positions. It will re¬ 
quire that all of our present national bonded debt be refunded 
and new bonds be issued, running for half a century and made 
expressly payable in the ‘ present standard ’ of money—gold. 
All other forms of debt—private, corporate, State, and munic¬ 
ipal—will ultimately be made payable in the same yellow 
money or its equivalent.” 

- After a further presentation of the issues involved, the sug¬ 
gestion of Mr. Teller as a man upon whom the Silver forces 
could fittingly combine in the then approaching Presidential 
campaign was made in the following language : 

u Measures must be gained or defeated through men. After 
all, the chief problem in this crisis is to find a man upon whom 
patriots can unite, whose life is witness that if entrusted with 
authority over national legislation and its enforcement he will 
defy every allurement of wealth and every menace of power, 
standing unflinchingly by the cause of the people in the fierce 
struggle inseparably connected with the enactment of our pro¬ 
posed financial reform. 

“ We see in the private and official life of Henry M. Teller a 
beacon burning brightly, warning the people of threatening 
speeches of dissension. He has but now publicly abandoned 
the Republican party with which he has associated since its 
first organization, entering it when led by those conscious to 
strive for the overthrow of human bondage and leaving it when 
Lincoln’s teachings and humanities were swallowed up in the 
greed and cruelty of money kings. For twenty years he has 
been a commanding figure in the nation’s life, a Cabinet officer 
of the United States. Nominally a Republican, he has many 
times openly defied his party when its members sought to make 
it an instrument of injustice and oppression. 


28 


SENATOR TELLER. 


“ For twenty years he has stood as a bulwark against the 
tyrannical encroachments of the national banks. He has never 
hesitated to declare that they should be deprived of all authority 
to issue money and to control its volume; he is an unflinching 
advocate of the duty of the Government to maintain and exer¬ 
cise exclusively for the people the sovereign power of emitting 
all money—gold, silver, and paper. He holds that to issue 
bonds in time of peace is a stupendous wrong to the people and 
the country. 

“ When to this official record are united an unsullied private 
life, a character without blot or stain, a great, generous nature, 
a patriotism that knows neither State nor section, we feel that 
we are performing a duty to our beloved country in thus calling 
attention to Mr. Teller’s merits and availability as a candidate 
for President as one upon whom all Populists may consistently 
unite, while they strenuously preserve and strengthen their 
organization. 

u The necessity and wisdom of a dispassionate consideration 
of his claims upon the support of the American people have be¬ 
come the more apparent since the patriotic Republican leaders 
who abandoned their party under his inspiration have announced 
him as the nominee for President of the United States. 

“ We beg our fellow Populists to consider calmly the sugges¬ 
tions we have made. It is our fervent hope that the patriotism, 
of our motives will, in their judgment, justify the course of com¬ 
munication we have taken. Let us all so act that if in the wis¬ 
dom of an inscrutable Providence the union, which we may 
tender, and of which our suffering country stands in such trying 
need, may not be effected we may at least declare in the pres¬ 
ence of our God and our country that we did our duty as pa¬ 
triots, and the fault and failure does not lie at our doors.’’ 


SENATOR TELLER. 


29 


RECEPTION IN DENVER* 

After the close of the St. Louis convention, Senator Teller 
spent some time with his mother at Morrison, Illinois, before 
proceeding to Colorado, not reaching the latter State until the 
first day of July. On the evening of that day he was given a 
magnificent reception at Denver—a welcome home such as it 
falls to the lot of few men to receive. The Senator was accom¬ 
panied by his family on the journey from Morrison to Denver. 
They were met at La Salle, six miles east of Greeley, by the van¬ 
guard of the Denver reception committee, consisting of Mayor 
McMurray, President Steele, of the Chamber of Commerce, and 
Mr. Simon Guggenheim and a party of Greeley citizens, includ¬ 
ing Lieutenant Governor Brush, J. M. Freeman, Bruce F. John¬ 
son, E. H. Abbott, J. W. McCreery, and Mayor Boomer. The 
greater part of the day was spent at Greeley, where the Senator 
and his family were guests of Lieutenant Governor Brush, and 
there, late in the afternoon, they were joined by the main body 
of the Denver committee, consisting of Governor Mclntire, 
Dennis Sheedy,I.N. Stevens, Irving Howbert,Charles S Thomas, 
Thomas M. Patterson, William G. Evans, Alva Adams, Irving 
W. Stanton, J. P. Maxwell, W. G. Smith, J. B. Grant, Sam. 
Browne, Frank Trumbull, H. P. Bennett, H. A. W. Tabor, and 
W. A. Duell. 

There w r as a reception at Greeley before the departure for 
Denver, at which practically the entire population of the city 
was present and at which Mr. Teller made a brief speech. He 
was conveyed from Greeley to Denver in a special train, which 
was welcomed at each stopping point by large and enthusiastic 
crowds of people. 

The train arrived at the union depot in Denver promptly on 
time. Just at 8 o’clock the explosion of a great bomb high in 
the air announced to the people that the Senator was among 
them, and this signal started the great cheering mass of people 
that blackened Seventeenth street even before Senator Teller 
passed under the portals of the depot. 


30 


SENATOR TELLER. 


On the arm of Governor Mclntire, Senator Teller stepped from 
the private car, and. surrounded by the most distinguished cit¬ 
izens of Colorado, commenced to make his way toward the 
Seventeenth Street entrance. David H. Moffat and Dennis 
Sheedy made way for him, and just behind strode the tall form 
of Hon. C. S. Thomas, Colorado’s representative on the National 
Democratic Committee. 

“ Here he comes,” was the cry, and the chorus was joined in 
by thousands. As Senator Teller reached his carriage in front 
of the depot the cries and shouts of the multitude sounded like 
the roaring of a Niagara. The shout was followed by a general 
movement of the throng toward the Senator, and the police and 
the guard of honor had the greatest difficulty in preventing the 
upturning of the'carriage and the forced stampede of the six 
white horses attached. Every one seemed determined to catch 
the first sight of the Senator, and the Denver papers asserted 
that men and women almost fought for vantage positions along 
the curbing. 

The Denver City troop, with drawn sabers, opened a way up 
Seventeenth street and the procession started amid the booming 
of bombs and the brilliant display of fireworks. 

There was a continued ovation from the depot to the Brown 
Palace hotel, where the reception occurred, the streets being lined 
with people and the buildings along the way practically covered 
with them. 

At Sixteenth and Larimer streets the arrangements of the grand 
marshal and the committee were a little disturbed. One of the 
Denver papers of the next day, describing this incident, said : 

“ Senator Teller had ridden in the carriage drawn by six wdiite 
horses from the union depot. Such a method of progression 
might do on common occasions, but last night was not one of 
them, and Senator Teller was not an ordinary guest of the people. 
The people insisted on an innovation, and they succeeded. Just 
as the carriage with Senator Teller, Governor Mclntire, Mayor 
McMurray, and Mr. Sheedy had turned into Sixteenth street 
from Larimer the horses were seized by an organized body of 
paraders. The driver at first did not understand what the abrupt 
interference with his duty meant, and he tried to frighten away 
the disturbers. The cavalrymen joined with the driver and 
threatened those who were rapidly demonstrating their ability 
to unhitch a six-horse team with drawn swords. But the oppo¬ 
sition of the driver and troopers availed nothing against the de- 


SENATOR TELLER. 


31 


termination of the little band to accomplish their purpose. This 
was finally gained when a sturdy forty-yard rope was produced, 
the carriage was hitched to it, and amid the exultant cheers of 
the people Senator Teller and his friends were drawn along to 
the end of the parade by several hundred willing hands. All 
along the route was one long, continued ovation. The great heart 
of the people went out to Colorado’s most distinguished son. 
The memory of last night’s magnificent greeting to Senator 
Henry M. Teller will not readily fade from the minds of those 
who were privileged to view it.” 


The parade was composed as follows: 


Platoon of police. 

Grand marshal and staff. 

E. H. Webb, grand marshal. 

E. H. Brooks, chief of staff. 

Aides—B. B. Wright, Frank B. Hunter, N. 
E. Macarey, M. C. Bark well, J. W. Bram- 
wood, Rhody Kenehan, P. B. Russell, C. 

A. Creighton, Henry Apple, John A. 
Wayne, Carl Johnson, J. Cook, Jr., A. 
R. Young, Byron L. Carr, Peter Josephs, 
T. S. Rector, A. J. Woodside, John G. 
Fleming, T. L. Wiswall, John L. Boyd, 
Charles J. Clark, H. N. Crittenden, E. J. 
Batie, E. W. Merritt, 

Band, First infantry, N. G. C. 

First platoon of cavalry. 

Senator Henry M. Teller in carriage drawn 
by six white horses. 

Carriage containing Gov. A. W. Mclntire. 

Mayor T. S. McMurray. 

Special reception committee in carriages. 
Second platoon of cavalry. 

Band from Gilpin county. 

Gilpin county citizens on foot. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Brigadier General C. M. Moses, marshal, 
and staff. 

Aides—Colonel W. R. Harp, Colotjel D. D. 
Mayo, Colonel S. K. Hooper, Colonel J. 

B. Frank, Colonel Warner A. Root, 
Colonel Halsey M. Rhoads, Colonel Wil¬ 
liam Coombs, Colonel Simon Guggen¬ 
heim, Colonel H. M. Orahood, Colonel 
Harry Davis, Colonel D. L. Holden, 
Colonel H. C. Chubbuck, Major George 
Borstade. 

Colonel A. W. Hogle, First infantry, 

N. G. C., and staff. 

Band, Seventh infantry, U- S. A. 

First battalion, First infantry, N. G. C. 
Companies B, E, and K, Major Edward 
Verdeckberg commanding. 

Denver High School cadets. 

Major C. A. Bradley commanding. 
Chaffee light artillery, four guns. 
Captain R. A. Kincaid commanding. 

SECOND DIVISION. 

Colonel W. K. Burchinell, marshal, and 
staff. 

Aides—Peter J. Fredericks, Fred. Betts, 
John E. Philips, Sam. Barets, Henri R. 
Foster, George Stidger, Thomas Nich¬ 
ols, Frank Joslin, J. D. McCarthy. 


Siggel’s band. 

Colorado Pioneers on foot and in carriages. 
Colorado Commandeiy No. 25, P. O. S. of A. 
Uniform rank of Foresters. 
Bersaghliera Guard. 

Knights of Pythias, uniform rank. 
American band. 

High School drum corps. 
Councils, Junior Order U. A. M. 

THIRD DIVISION. 

Hon. J. C. Twombly, marshal, and staff. 
Aides—John W. Fleming, A. F. Twitehell, 
Robert Brennan, George W. Twjombly, 
J. L. Clark, J. G. Knight. 

Italian band. 

Teller Italian Silver club. 
Longfellow Republican club. 

John L. Routt Ladies’ club. 
Pickaninny band 
Club of colored citizens. 

Societe Italiana Unione and Fratellone. 

FOURTH DIVISION. 

Colonel W. H. Conley, marshal, and staff. 
Aides—W. T. S. May, Will Chamberlain. 
Frank Frewen, James M. Carico, H. C. 
Dougherty, J. G. Locke, W. H. Seipe, 
A. M. Hinsdale. 

Logan Juvenile band. 

Clerks’ union. 
Typographical union. 
Bookbinders’ union. 
Cigarmakers’ union No. 129. 
Bakers’ and Confectioners’ union. 
Brewers’ and Maltsters’ union. 

Beer Drivers’ union. 

Cooks’ union. 

Press Feeders’ and Helpers’ union. 
Highland pipers. 

Granite Cutters’ union. 

Horseshoers’ union. 

Job Pressmen’s union. 

Musical Protective association. 

Stonemasons’ union. 

Painters’ and Decorators’ union. 
Plumbers’ union. 
Stereotypers’ union. 

Steam Engineers’ union. 

Iron Moulders’ union. 
Theatrical Stage Employes’ union. 
Denver Job Printers’ union. 

Tailors’ union. 

George W. Cook drum corps. 
Waiters’ union. 


32 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Knights of Labor assemblies. 
Garment Workers’ union. 
Laundry Workers’ union. 
Printing Pressmen’s union. 
Journeymen; Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Steam 
Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpex*s. 
Street-car employes. 

FIFTH DIVISION. 

Hon. C. E. Locke, marshal, and staff. 
Aides—George Aggers, John C. Kennedy, 
George Hamilton, F. A. Armstrong, Eu¬ 
gene Young, John M. McQuoid, C. C. 
Robinson, L. C. Grove, E. L. Wheatley. 
Second section, American band. 
Teller Silver club, 2,000 strong. 
Employes Omaha and Grant smelter. 
Winona drum corps. 

Arapahoe Wheel club. 


Denver Wheel club. 

Flambeau club, 40 strong. 

LINE OF MARCH. 

The line of march is as follows: 

Union depot to Larimer, on 17th street. 
On Larimer to 16th street. 

On 16th street to California. 

On California to 15th street. 

On 15th street to Welton. 

On Welton to 14th street. 

On 14th street to Tremont street. 

On Tremont street to 15th street. 

On 15th street to Court place. 

On Court place to Broadway. 

On Broadway to 19th street. 

On 19th street to Champa, and disperse. 
First division will form on 17th street, 
right resting on Wynkoop street. 


The newspapers devoted pages to the reception, the following 
condensed account of one portion of the ceremony from one of 
them of the next day’s issue giving a fair idea of their estimate 
of the event and of the event itself: 

“Senator Teller had the opportunity that comes to few men 
in public life. He looked out upon the restless sea of faces and 
nowhere was there a reproof. Two decades spent in the halls of 
Congress met with an universal and enthusiastic welcome, a 
verdict of ‘ Well done, good and faithful servant.’ The scene 
was indeed magnificent—thousands of people wild with demon¬ 
strations of approval, the music of a score of bands, many-colored 
electric lights, pioneers and cadets shouting their welcomes, the 
carriage in which sat the hero of the hour, drawn, as the chariot 
of a warrior of the olden time, by the populace itself—the sur¬ 
roundings were inspiring. But the Senior senator of Colorado, 
grown gray in the service of the party, saw beyond the shout 
and the hurrah of the occasion the lesson of the moment. That 
lesson was that the great heart of the people beats in unison with 
the servant who is brave enough to do his duty under all cir¬ 
cumstances. No man doubted, after looking upon the scene 
when Senator Teller arose to speak last night, that he has truly 
represented his constituents. 

“Naturally enough, the reviewing stand at the Brown Palace 
hotel was the center to which people and procession made their 
ways. Where did all the people come from ? Half an hour be¬ 
fore the train was scheduled to arrive at the union depot there 
was no crowd about the hotel. Suddenly men, women, and 
children filled the open space at the junction of Seventeenth 
street, Broadway, and Seventeenth avenue as if they had sprung 
from the earth. There they stood—cheering, waving hats and 
handkerchiefs, shrieking wildly every newly devised yell—until 
the last glimpse had been had of the man whom all came to 
honor. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


33 


“ Looking from the reviewing stand itself, one caught the in¬ 
spiration of a big crowd—felt it, as it were. Not less than 20,000 
people were packed together in front of the stand on Seventeenth 
and Broadway. The high poles having electric wires seemed to 
be planted not in the earth, but in a waving field of people. It 
was with greatest difficulty that a narrow lane was cut, and the 
word is used advisedly, for officers yelled and commanded and 
riders rushed their horses pell-mell into the crowd, through the 
solid mass of humanity, sufficiently wide to allow the marching 
column to proceed. 

“ The floor of the grand stand was on a level with that of the 
second story of the hotel, and the St. Louis delegation, with the 
special reception committee, walked to their places shortly before 
the arrival of Senator Teller. The stand was handsomely deco¬ 
rated with the national colors and made brilliant with electric 
lights. 

“ To the south the capitol dome beckoned like a light-house on 
the ocean beach. The word ‘ welcome,’ formed of electroliers, 
could just be discerned through the foliage of intervening trees. 
Lincoln and Sherman avenues, between the stand and the capi¬ 
tol, were indeed thoroughfares of light last night. Red fire 
illumined the scene and gave the eye a flash-light production of 
the remarkable demonstration. There was a murmur of dissent 
as a few drops of rain fell just as the parade was expected to 
reach this point. No one seemed to say anything in that anxious 
crowd below, but a concentralism of ‘Ohs! 5 ‘Ahs!’ arose and 
floated like gusts. There was no evidence, however, that any 
one intended to leave his or her place in the crowd. Indeed, it 
was a case where once having put the hand to the plow, it would 
have been exceedingly difficult to look back. Occasionally with 
greatest difficulty a lady who had fainted was taken out of the 
crush. 

“ While looking down upon all this brilliant scene, there arose 
the cry, ‘They’re coming! ’ The word passed from mouth to 
mouth. Then came the scene, baffling description in words. 
The historian and novelist who have attempted to portray the 
enthusiasm of the people—the genuine kind, not manufactured— 
when on great occasions they welcomed home the statesman 
and the soldier who had done battle for them in forum or 
field—all these waiters have failed or else they have not at¬ 
tempted to describe an outburst such as met Senator Teller when 
his carriage came in sight of the Brown Palace. Hundreds of 
men are holding that rope ; they are pulling with at least the 
energy of 1776; they are hatless and coatless and breathless. 
What need of dumb animals in such an hour as this? The 
men themselves are hauling the precious load. 

“ ‘ It’s the Senator! ’ was the yell, and the crowd tried to turn 
about, but failed. It was too big for such an acrobatic perform- 

3 


34 


SENATOR TELLER. 


ance. Sure enough, the dark object at the end of the long rope 
is a carriage ; sure enough, Senator Teller with bared head is 
seated therein. It is all right, and the mammoth crowd took 
occasion to yell itself hoarse, and to go wild on its own account 
and in its own way. Every one made a break for the carriage; 
every one was seized with the idea that it would be the proper 
and polite thing to shake hands with the Senator then and 
there. In this design all failed. But before the crush was 
checked, cavalrymen and mounted police had a hard time of it. 
The tide had set in. The billow of humanity surging in front 
was followed by the momentum behind, and it was only when 
there was danger of being crushed to death under the horses’ 
hoofs that a semblance of quiet was restored. 

“ Past the reviewing stand, where already sat the seven other 
delegates to St. Louis, came the carriage containing Senator 
Teller, Governor Mclntire, and Major McMurray. On the 
stand and attracting the attention of the audience, and receiv¬ 
ing cheers of approval, were A. M. Stevenson, Frank C. Goudy, 
James M. Downing, John F. Rockefeller, John F. Vivian, 
Charles 0. Brickenstein, and C. J. Hart, delegates, and Robert W. 
Bonynge, alternate for Senator Teller. 

“ There is an end to all things, and that is about the only way 
to account for the jam about the carriage, the blockade, the hur¬ 
rah being over sufficiently to allow the crowd to turn its atten¬ 
tion to something else. It seemed to do this reluctant^. 

“ Meanwhile the special committee had escorted Senator Teller 
and Mrs. Teller through the hotel and to the reviewing stand, 
where the audience broke loose again. With uncovered head 
the Senator stood while the column passed. He smiled as he 
saw the varied demonstrations of approval. When the home 
delegation, just below the stand, old Gilpin, insisted on being 
noticed, the Senator glanced that way, waved his hands, and it 
seemed then as if a fresh band of Modocs had been let loose’in 
the crowd. There was just a suspicion, too, of a tear in the 
Senator’s eyes as he watched the wonderful outpouring. 

“ Everybody not in the jam of people standing there was in 
the procession. It was the biggest and most spontaneous out¬ 
pouring ever witnessed in the West. When that has been said 
the truth has been fully stated. It was seen that all classes of 
citizens were represented and every trade and profession. 

“ Bands played and the crowd yelled to its-full content until 
what seemed an interminable procession had passed the grand 
stand, the little lane was closed, and the crowd which had parted 
temporarily came together again in one compact mass.” 

Brief speeches of welcome were made by Hon. I. N. Stevens. 
Governor Mclntire, Mayor McMurray, and Hon. H. P. Bennett, 


SENATOR TELLER. 


35 


the latter presenting a silver badge of honorary membership on 
behalf of the Ladies’ Aid Society of the Colorado Pioneers. 

Mr. Stevens presided, an^l in calling the assemblage to order 
he said: 

u This outpouring of the people tonight is for one purpose 
alone, and that is to welcome home the first citizen of Colorado 
and one whom we soon hope to see the first citizen of the Re¬ 
public.” 

Governor Mclntire, in extending a welcome for the State, said 
in part: 

“ Not only in behalf of this mighty concourse, with its music 
and banners and huzzas, but in behalf of those who by reason 
of distance and duties are unable to be here in person, but who 
are surely here in spirit, do I welcome you. Let me assure you 
that your real home is in the hearts of the people of this State. 

:fc: >fc ^ 

“Among the first to see the evil and learn the remedy of these 
disjointed times, you have stood forth, even amid sneers and 
bitter abuse, the unflinching champion of sound financial prin-* 
ciples. The people of your State have watched your course 
with keen interest and ever-increasing admiration. At first 
fearing that against such able and tried opponents your courage 
might flag or your skill be inadequate, they soon learned that 
at every point your armor was proof and your weapons always 
keen. We observe with a pardonable and exceedingly great 
pride that millions of earnest men throughout the nation, men 
whom the great Lincoln called the plain people, have been 
watching you. They see you earnestly advocating a principle 
which deals with the most vital interests of the nation and of 
the world, and they note that no self-interest, no fear of conse¬ 
quences, swerves you from your course. They see in you one 
who holds patriotism to be above partisanship. They applaud 
the character and courage that say in words and deeds that 
when party no longer stands for principles held to be vital and 
sacred, it has no meaning; that party is the means, not the end; 
the weapon, not the life to be defended.” 

Among other things said by Mayor McMurray, who spoke 
for Denver, were the following : 

“ Senator Teller: In the palmy days of the Roman Empire 
it was customary when Roman generals were returning from 
their conquests in foreign lands to meet them at the banks of 
the Tiber and escort them in triumph to the imperial city. 


SENATOR TELLER, 


36 

This was the custom upon frequent occasions, but possibly upon 
no occasion did the populace turn out so enthusiastically as 
upon that occasion, described by Macaulay, when Horatius, with 
his two gallant comrades, was returning, after having swum the 
Tiber, having hewn down the bridge, and thus saved the imperial 
city from the attacks of its enemies. 

u You tonight, Senator, have been met by the citizenship of 
this city, assisted by the people of the State, as you have re¬ 
turned to this the capital city of the State from your arduous 
labors in behalf of the people, and from your recent attendance 
at the National Republican convention at St. Louis, where you 
and your gallant associates, the other members of the Colorado 
delegation, have hewn down the bridge of submission to party, 
and thus endeavored to save the people of this country from 
the curse of gold monometallism.” 

The following is an extract from Judge Bennett’s remarks: 

“ Do not, Mr. Senator, think for a moment that the Pioneer 
Society is wholly unselfish in conferring upon you honorary 
membership, even though its badge has been graciously received 
and prized by a President of the United States (and we trust 
will be again). We realize, as a truth worthy of all acceptance, 
that ‘ it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Hence, Mr. 
Senator, our almost Pioneer brother, in view of what you have 
done in founding and building up the Centennial State—a work 
inaugurated by the Pioneers—let us consider that ‘ honors are 
easy and responsibilities equal ’ between us. There is a warm 
and hearty welcome for you, more general and hearty than you 
know or dream of. There is not a true Coloradoan in- all the 
land but cries, ‘All hail and welcome! ’ ” 

Mr. Teller found the crowd too large to address at length, and 
therefore contented himself with saying only a very few words 
in addition to his expression of gratification at the demonstra¬ 
tion in his behalf. 

“ I can only say,” he said, “that there are no words at my 
command that can express the gratification and satisfaction that 
I feel for this magnificent demonstration which you have given 
me tonight. No man anywhere has ever had a better one, and 
I thank you very heartily for it; but I do not, my friends, take 
it all to myself. I realize that the cause we are all interested in 
has much to do with this great outpouring of the people of Col¬ 
orado ; that it is intended not only to signify your approval of 
my conduct, and the conduct of my associates at St. Louis, but 
to signify your determination to work in this cause until we shall 
triumphantly achieve that which is so dear to us and to all the 


SENATOR TELLER, 


37 


people of the country, and that is a proper monetary system. 
[Applause.] Since I have been your representative, now nearly 
twenty years, it has been my great object and purpose to en¬ 
deavor to represent the people of this State honestly and con¬ 
scientiously [applause; and “That’s right!”], advocating the 
sentiments that they entertained; and I want to assure you if 
the hour ever comes that I cannot do that, I shall say so to you 
frankly, that you may select some one who will. [Applause.] 
Fortunately for me, the people of this State have been in accord 
with me on great public questions as I have presented them in 
the Senate of the United States. 

“ I am delighted—I am more than delighted—I am repaid for 
many hours of hard labor and toil by this demonstration. I 
heard a distinguished man say recently that in political life there 
was but little compensation for labor. The twenty years that I 
have endeavored to serve you—every hour that I have sacrificed 
and labored—is fully compensated by this magnificent demon¬ 
stration of your generous approval.” [Applause.] 

To this he added the following: 

“ I believe now that all the friends of silver have to do in this 
country is to get together. [Applause.] And when they do get 
together I believe they will dominate and control the country 
[applause] and place it upon a monetary system that is an Amer¬ 
ican system—a monetary system that we will adopt without ask¬ 
ing the consent of Great Britain or any other nation. [Renewed 
applause.] 

“ Whatever the Republicans may do in other sections, I know 
that the Republicans of this State believe that the great Amer¬ 
ican nation is big enough and strong enough and wise enough 
[“Amen ”] to promulgate a system of its own.[“ You bet ”] that 
is American, without the approbation or approval of any nation 
on the earth. [Applause.] 

“ For that let all the people of Colorado be united as one man. 
When we are united the other sections of the country will be 
united with us, and we will accomplish that which to some of 
us has seemed very remote—the securing, I repeat, of a true, 
honest, American system of finance.” 

After the speech-making the immense crowd slowly and re¬ 
luctantly dispersed, to allow the Senator and the members of 
his party who had had a busy and an exciting day, although a 
most gratifying one, to retire for much needed rest. 

The crowd that witnessed the reception was generally estimated 
at not less than 100,000 people. 


38 


SENATOR TELLER. 


THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION* 

In view of the action of the Silver Republicans and of the 
recommendations of the Populists in their address, it was only 
natural that Mr. Teller should be considered by some as an eligi¬ 
ble candidate for the Presidency before the Democratic conven¬ 
tion which met at Chicago on the 7th of July, and there is every 
reason to believe that if t\e had been placed in nomination at 
this convention the nomination would have been unequivocally 
indorsed by the Populist convention, which met a few weeks 
afterward in St. Louis. Mr. Teller declined, however, to con¬ 
sider himself as a candidate at Chicago. He neither desired the 
nomination nor expected it, but he did not refuse to allow the 
use of his name, because his friends believed that such use 
might strengthen the Silver cause in the campaign. 

He was, therefore, in no respect disappointed when the con¬ 
vention failed to accept the suggestion of his friends that he 
should be declared its choice for the Presidential nomination, 
and immediately set himself to work to secure the cooperation 
of his friends, and especially his fellow-Silver Republicans in 
support of Mr. Bryan, the Democratic nominee. Some of them 
were at first opposed to this course and insisted that Mr. Teller 
should be presented as an independent candidate before the 
Populist convention. To this suggestion Senator Teller refused 
to give ear, holding that the only possible chance of success was 
in the complete unification of the Silver forces. He took a firm 
position from the first in support of Mr. Bryan as an individual, 
as a public man of unblemished character, and as an able and 
consistent supporter of the rights of silver to consideration as 
one of the money metals of the Constitution. As soon as he 
could consult with his friends and secure their cooperation he 
sent Mr. Bryan a hearty letter of congratulation, and soon after¬ 
ward—a day or two before the assembling of the Populist and 
Silver Party conventions—the Manitou address from the Silver 
Republican leaders, with Mr. Teller as the first of its signers, 
was issued, urging all persons of whatever party, who were op- 


SENATOR TELLER. 


39 


posed to the single gold standard, to unite upon the Democratic 
candidate. 

The national battle was fought upon these lines, and while it 
was in progress throughout the country Mr. Teller’s fortunes as 
a candidate for reelection to the United States Senate were left 
to his friends in his own State. The sequel shows that they 
scrupulously observed the trust. 


40 


SENATOR TELLER. 


RE-ELECTION TO THE SENATE, 

Mr. Teller gave his entire time and attention during the cam¬ 
paign to other sections of the country than Colorado, making 
speeches in almost all the upper Mississippi Valley States. 
There was little division of sentiment in Colorado as to the pro¬ 
priety of returning him to the Senate. The Silver Republicans, 
the Democrats, the Populists, and the Silver party all declared 
for him in almost every county convention held, and even the 
straight Republicans generally during the campaign announced 
themselves friendly to his reelection. The representatives of 
this last-named part}' took a contrary course in the legislature, 
but there were so few of them that they were not able to make 
a profound impression. They succeeded in preventing the elec¬ 
tion from being unanimous, but their course did not in anywise 
affect the result. 

There were 18 members of the Senate elected—17 holding 
over from the election of 1894—and 65 members of the House. 
When the returns from the legislative elections were received it 
was found that politically the legislature would be a vari-col- 
ored organization. The House included representatives of seven 
different political parties and one member who claimed to be 
non-partisan, distributed as follows: Populists, 23 ; Democrats? 
20; Republicans. 10; National Silver party, 7; Silver Republi¬ 
cans, 2; Single Tax, 1; Socialist, 1; Non-partisan, 1. The 18 
new members of the Senate included 6 Silver Republicans, 4 
Democrats, 4 Populists, and 4 members of the National Silver 
party. Of the 17 hold-over Senators 7 were Populists, 6 Re¬ 
publicans, 3 Silver Republicans, and 1 a Democrat. 

Two of the members of the legislature were absent when the 
vote was cast. Ninety-eight votes were cast in the two houses 
combined, and of them Mr. Teller received 92, or within a frac¬ 
tion of the significant proportion of 16 to 1. The only votes 
cast against him were cast by straight Republicans, three in the 
Senate and three in the House, and none of the opposition votes 
in the Senate were cast by Senators who had been elected as the 
result of the campaign of 1896. That action so unanimous 


SENATOR TELLER. 


41 


should have been secured in a body so heterogeneous politi¬ 
cally, and in the interest of a candidate who had given no time 
or attention to his own campaign, has been everywhere and 
justly considered as quite out of the ordinary. In view of its 
exceptional character, it has been thought worth while to pre¬ 
serve the legislative proceedings bearing upon this event in as 
complete shape as possible. Accordingly the official record of 
the two houses of the legislature when they met in separate ses¬ 
sion on the 19th day of January, 1897, to ballot for a Senator, and 
when they met in joint session on the following day, the 20th, 
to ratify the action of the two houses sitting apart, is here given. 
The speeches of the various members of both the Senate and the 
House nominating and seconding Mr. Teller’s nomination, so far 
as they have been preserved, are also given, as are also Lieutenant 
Governor Brush’s speech introducing Mr. Teller as the Senator- 
elect, after the action of the joint session, and Mr. Teller’s reply. 

These proceedings follow: 

SENATE PROCEEDINGS. 

Following is the portion of the Senate Journal of January 19, 
1897, relating to the vote for United States Senator: 

At the hour of 12 m. the President of the Senate, the Hon. 
Lieutenant Governor Brush, arose and officially announced that 
the hour had arrived provided by act of Congress to proceed to 
the election of a United States Senator for a term of six years to 
succeed the Hon. Henry M. Teller, whose term expires March 
4, 1897, and that nominations were in order. 

The President of the Senate recognized the Hon. Francis 
Carney, of the Eighteenth district, President pro tem. 

Senator Carney, on the part of the representatives of the 
People’s party, placed in nomination the name of the Hon. Henry 
M. Teller for United States Senator for a term of six years, be¬ 
ginning March 4, 1897. 

The Hon. Oscar Reuter, Senator from the First district, was rec¬ 
ognized by the President. 

Senator Reuter, on the part of the Silver Republicans, placed 
in nomination the name of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

The President recognized the Hon. B. Clark Wheeler, Senator 
from the Eleventh district. 


42 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Senator Wheeler, on the part of the members of the National 
Silver party, placed in nomination the name of the Hon. Henry 
M. Teller. 

The President recognized the Hon. Casimero Barela, the Sen¬ 
ator representing the Fourth district. 

Senator Barela, on the part of the representatives of the Demo¬ 
cratic party, placed in nomination the name of the Hon. Henry 
M. Teller. 

The President recognized the Hon. John T. McNeely, repre¬ 
senting the Fourteenth district. 

Senator McNeely announced, as a Republican, he would place 
in nomination the name of the Hon. George W. Allen. 

The President recognized the Hon. James P. Maxwell, of the 
Fifth district, and Senator Maxwell seconded the nomination of 
the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

The Hon. Thomas H. Stratton, of the Twentieth district, arose 
in his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller. 

The Hon. John R. Schermerhorn, of the First district, arose 
in his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henr}^ M. 
Teller. 

The Hon. H. H. Seldomridge, of the Third district, arose in 
his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller. 

The Hon. E. A. Bromley, of the First district, arose to his feet 
and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

The Hon. John R. Gordon, of the Twenty-seventh district, 
arose in his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. 
George W. Allen. 

The Hon. Benton Canon, representing the Sixteenth sena¬ 
torial district, seconded the nomination, in behalf of Gunnison, 
Delta, and Mesa counties, of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

The Hon. Theodore H. Thomas, of the First district, arose in 
his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller. 

The Hon. Frank E. Moody, of the Fifteenth district, arose in 
his seat and seconded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller. 

The Hon. Leander West, of the Eighth district, arose and sec¬ 
onded the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


43 


The Hon. A. R. Kennedy, of the Third senatorial district, 
arose and seconded the nomination of the Hon George W 
Allen. 

There being no further nominations, the roll-call was ordered, 
and the Senators, as their names were called, arose in their seats 
and announced their choice viva voce as follows: 

Voting for the Hon. Henry M. Teller were Senators Adams, 
Barela, Blakey, Bromley. Campbell, Canon, Carney, Crosby, 
Crowe, Evans, Felton, Gallagher, Gaymon, Harris, Locke, Max¬ 
well, Moody, McCreery, Painter, Porterfield, Reuter, Schermer- 
horn, Seldomridge, Sours, Stratton, Swink, Taylor, Thomas, 
West, and Wheeler—total, 30. 

Voting for the Hon. George W. Allen were Senators Gordon, 
Kennedy, and McNeely—total, 3. 

Absent and excused, Senators Bolsinger and Morton. 

The President of the Senate declared the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller had received the majority of the votes of the senate. 

IN THE HOUSE. 

The following extract from the House Journal of the same date 
details the proceedings there: 

State of Colorado, House of Representatives, 

Denver, Colorado, January 19, 1897. 

At 12 o’clock m., the nominations for United States Senator, 
being for the full term of six years, beginning March 4, 1897, 
being in order, Mr. Jenkins, of Gilpin, presented the name of 
Henry M. Teller, which was seconded by Crowley, of Otero, and 
others ; and Mr. Price presented the name of George W. Allen, 
seconded by Montez. 

The roll was then called with the following result: 

Those voting for Mr. Teller were: Messrs. Allen, Anderson, 
Annear, Bodle, Butler, Bucklin, Chamberlin, Champion, Conine, 
Cook, Creswell, Crow, Crowder, Crowley, DeVotie, Ehrhart, Eng- 
ley, Flansburg, Garcia, Gardner, Green, Hart, Heartz, Helbig, 
Hilgenhaus, Homfield, Jenkins, Jester, Jones, La Veil, Law¬ 
rence, Lewis (La Platte), Lewis (Pueblo), McClure, Monson, 
Nicol, O’Neill, Orvis, Park (Andrew), Park (James A.), Pierson, 
Philp, Powell, Pruden, Robbins, Rohde, Roe, Ryan, Sechrist, 


44 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Sheridan, Shumate, Stevens, Stewart, Sweeney, Walker, Wait- 
man, Warden, Wilber, Whitney, Wolfe, Woodward, Mr. Speaker— 
total, 62. 

Those voting for Mr. Allen were: Montez, Price, Salazar— 
total, 3. 

The Speaker announced that the Hon. Henry M. Teller, having 
a majority of all the votes cast by the House for United States 
Senator for the full term of six years beginning March 4, 1897, 
was declared the choice of the House. 

SPEECHES IN THE SENATE. 

NOMINATING ADDRESS BY MR. CARNEY. 

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Senate : A pleasant 
duty devolves upon me, that of saying a few words of commen¬ 
dation of one who has so ably represented us in the United 
States Senate. His voice has always been raised, his vote has 
always been cast, in the interests of those who struggle for a liv¬ 
ing. His superior ability, his great knowledge of the question 
that the people of the State of Colorado are so vitally interested 
in, has made him the foremost Senator and advocate of the great 
interests that are near and dear to every Coloradoan. He has 
always stated, in season and out of season, Mr. President, that if 
his party decided in favor of the gold standard, and not only 
against the interests of his State, but against the interests of the 
United States, then and there he would sever his party connec¬ 
tion, because the gold standard was crushing the blood out of 
the industries of not only this, but other nations. How well he 
kept his word was exemplified in the St. Louis convention, 
where, notwithstanding he was surrounded by all the pomp and 
splendor that the riches of this country could assemble, he rose 
and, standing like a sturdy oak, he gave his reasons for leaving 
the party and walked out of that assembly to the great credit of 
our State. The fact of his going out riveted the attention, not 
only of the United States, but of the entire world. 

And, Mr. President, what did he do then? He used all his 
great influence and the great power which were acquired by 
twenty years’ experience in the Senate of the United States in 
advocating the election of the gallant champion of human 
rights, William Jennings Bryan [applause], canvassing a large 
portion of the country in Mr. Bryan’s interest, at the sacrifice 
of his own health. Mr. President, his cause failed. His power 
was thwarted by the money power of this nation. He served 
his people well, and as a reward for his unselfish and patriotic 
course he will, we hope, have the unanimous vote of the Senate 


SENATOR TELLER. 


45 


and the House of Representatives, so that the glad tidings may 
be sent forth all over this country with lightning rapidity that 
the people ot Colorado, with those of other States, recognize and 
value worth and merit, and that the}^ will not be defeated on a 
question of this kind. 

Mr. President, some of the newspapers during the last cam¬ 
paign, without the least shadow of proof, circulated the re¬ 
port that the Populist members of the legislature, if elected, 
were going to enter into an unholy alliance for the purpose of 
accomplishing the defeat of this grand man whom I will nomi¬ 
nate. They knew they were uttering falsehoods, because E. 0. 
Wolcott himself had stated the truth when he said that he never 
received a vote of a Populist member of either branch of the 
legislature, for which we feel profoundly proud and gratified. 

* * * * * * * 

Our candidate is a man of the people, and his generous heart 
beats in sympathy with those who are struggling for an exist¬ 
ence. Every vote he has ever cast has been cast in that direc¬ 
tion. Now, to show the falsity of the statements emanating 
from this vile press, I am proud of the satisfaction and knowl¬ 
edge that Henry M. Teller will receive the votes of every Pop¬ 
ulist member in both houses. He will certainly receive votes 
enough to make his election almost unanimous. The people of 
this great State, surrounded by our magnificent mountains, 
drawing their inspiration therefrom, have generosity and liber¬ 
ality enough never to vote against him. He has worked in and 
out of season in their interests and at the expense of his own 
health, and I therefore take great pleasure, Mr. President, in 
placing in nomination the matchless champion of our rights— 
Henry M. Teller. [Loud applause.] 

REMARKS OF MR. REUTER. 

Mr. President: On behalf of the Silver Republicans I, too, 
nominate the Hon. Henry M. Teller to succeed himself as Sen¬ 
ator of the United States for Colorado. 

When we send a United States Senator to Washington, we 
send him not only to represent the interests of our beloved 
Commonwealth, but also to aid in determining the destinies of 
our great and united country. New York and San Francisco, 
New Orleans and Chicago, Boston and Galveston, the farmers 
of the North and the planters of the South, the merchants of 
the East and the miners of the West—all have the right to de¬ 
mand of us a good reason for our choice But even there our 
responsibility does not cease. When in 1776 we declared “that 
all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Cre¬ 
ator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, 


46 


SENATOR TELLER. 


liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and that governments 
are instituted among men to secure these rights, we promised 
the world an ideal government and challenged the censure of 
our critics if we failed. Honesty and pride point to our Decla¬ 
ration of Independence as the North star by which our ship of 
state must seek its course. 

Governments have come and governments have gone, and 
ours was not the hrst that built its foundations upon noble aspi¬ 
rations; but no government but ours was ever built upon foun¬ 
dations so broad and established ideals so high that they could 
furnish inspiration for mankind until the end of time. 

The history of all good governments that have fallen shows 
a uniform course: early struggle, rewarding growth, magnificent 
ripeness, and then come abandonment of high ideals, corruption, 
and ruin; but this course is no more uniform than is the fact 
that abandonment of high ideals is followed by love of gain, and 
love of gain by dishonesty—dishonesty by the accumulation of 
inordinate wealth in the hands of the few, and inordinate wealth 
in the hands of the dishonest breeds corruption in every avenue 
of private and public life, until our very children, wise beyond 
their years, cynically tell us “ all can be had for money; ” our 
nation’s soul becomes polluted, its life a living lie, and its blood 
poisoned with inevitable decay and disgraceful death. May 
our country ever look to honorable statesmen and not to avari¬ 
cious tradesmen for advice in its distress; may our helmsman 
never turn from our polar star—our glorious Declaration of In¬ 
dependence—to Mercury, the god of gain and theft, for guidance 
in a storm ! 

Government is a complicated and intricate organism, and he 
is a wise statesman who can discover and unerringly interpret 
the evil symptoms of his times. I do not presume to say at 
what stage of a nation’s life we have arrived. I have an un¬ 
yielding faith that we are in the stage of honorable growth and 
blessed progress; but there is one simple truth all can see, and 
that is that in honesty there is safety, and in dishonesty there 
lurks danger, and he must be deaf who does not hear the omi¬ 
nous cry of “ corruption in our public affairs.” If I mistake 
not, there are millions of our people today who are sincerely 
convinced that victory in our last campaign came to the side 
where honesty of purpose willingly and unblushingly accepted 
corruption, ignorance, and prejudice among its favored leaders, 
and there are many good people who think they see arrogant 
and dishonest wealth strutting through the land with unprece¬ 
dented impudence, under the false pretense of patriotism and 
respectability. If they see correctly, then let us say to the evil 
powers that surround us, Beware! Napoleon once said Provi¬ 
dence was with the army that had the biggest guns ; and yet he 
died in disgrace. No; I do not believe Providence is with ill- 


SENATOR TELLER. 


47 


gotten gain. I do not believe all can be had for money, but I 
believe that Providence has ever been and still is with virtue, 
and that if we but remain virtuous we must succeed. 

The man oj virtue , the ideal citizen of a republic , is the need of the 
hour! 

It we can find a man whose every act in life testifies that he 
was born and bred an honest man; a man who has received the 
best education his country affords, matured and made ornate by 
a life of earnest toil and crowned by sound judgment, and who 
yet feels that his superiority is but a gracious gift from heaven 
and not a cause for conceit; a man who has been tempted by 
the corrupt and the heartless, and yet preserved his integrity 
unsullied and his affection for the people undiminished ; a man 
who, in the face of threatened defeat and ignominy, had the 
courage to stand by his convictions, and, like a Galileo and a 
Luther, humbly but firmly plead, “I cannot do otherwise;” 
a man who will accord every friendly nation due respect, but 
who still believes his country is the greatest of them all, and 
that there is no achievement of foreign intellect or strength that 
his country will not eclipse in time; a man upon whom dignities, 
honors, and office have been showered by a loving people, but 
who never forgets that all men are created equal, and that the 
humblest citizen of the land is still a man, entitled to have his 
manhood respected, and is his peer before the law and in the 
eyes of God; a legislator who knows that there is no progress 
without change, no change without injury to some, but who 
never forgets that the burden must be placed where it will rest 
lightest; a man whose private life is so pure that the absence of 
the ordinary blemishes which so often mar a noble life goes 
unnoticed—-if we can find such a man, I say, our personal or 
political differences with him or with each other fall into insig¬ 
nificance, and we can safely send him among the chief coun¬ 
sellors of our country, and in doing so rest assured that we shall 
have fully performed our duty, not only to our constituents and 
to ourselves, but also to our country and to all mankind. 

Mr. President, in my opinion Henry M. Teller is such a man, 
and therefore I shall vote for him ; and if it shall so happen, I 
shall ever feel proud that I shall have belonged to a body and 
lived in a State that unanimously merged political differences 
in love of country and recognition of worth. 

REMARKS OF MR. BARELA. 

Mr. President: Having been selected by the Democratic 
Senators of the Senate to nominate a candidate in behalf of the 
Democratic party of Colorado for the distinguished position of 
United States Senator, I feel proud that I am about to nominate 
a son of Colorado for that high office, for, as you know, we have 


48 


SENATOR TELLER. 


the right to go beyond the limits of our State to select a.raan 
for United States Senator. The Democrats have chosen a man 
that the entire State is proud of, a man whom the State has 
reason to more than admire, a high-minded statesman and a 
Democrat in principle and in every other respect. He is a rep¬ 
resentative not only of Democratic principles, but also of the 
interests of the entire people of our Commonwealth. That man 
is the distinguished and much-honored Henry M. Teller—a 
statesman and a Democrat. 


REMARKS OF MR. MAXWELL. 

Mr. President, "he pri\ ilege accorded me on this occasion, 
when considered 0 ut of the past, is one replete with 

pleasurable emotions and one that seldom falls within the expe¬ 
rience of the average man. Twenty years ago, when Colorado 
first entered upon her career of statehood, and when her first 
General Assembly was convened in this city of Denver, I had 
the honor as a member of the Senate of presenting before that 
body for the first time the name of Henry M. Teller for the 
position of United States Senator. 

The legislature then occupied a severely plain and unostenta¬ 
tious building down on Blake street between 16th and 17th—a 
structure in marked contrast with this magnificent edifice which 
we now occupy with such commendable pride, but no more 
marked than exists in some respects between the Mr. Teller of 
that period and the Sen tor Teller of today. Then he was the 
successful, but quiet and unassuming lawyer from the little 
“ Kingdom of Gilpin ’’—a man but little known beyond the 
boundaries of our State and so modest and unassuming that 
when his name was prominently mentioned in connection with 
the position of United States Senator it was with difficulty that 
he could be persuaded to locate himself in rooms where his 
friends might see and interview him. 

I remember well a little incident connected with the opening 
of those rooms, as I was present on the occasion. While Mr. 
Teller was surrounded by some recently arrived friends an over- 
zealous supporter stepped out and shortly after returned with a 
decanter and some glasses. As he was entering the room Mr. 
Teller’s eye took in the situation. “ Stop, sir,” said he ; “ stop 
right there. I am not in the habit of using anything of that 
kind myself, nor can it be introduced here with my knowledge 
or sanction.” Today, while possessing the same quiet and un¬ 
assuming personality and imbued with the same conscientious 
principles, his name has become a household word in every 
State of this Union. He stands the peer of the ablest statesmen 
in the Senate of the United States, and his courageous advocacy 


SENATOR TELLER. 


49 


of the cause of monetary reform has made his name familiar in 
all financial circles throughout the civilized world. 

Since 1877 Colorado has made wonderful advancement in the 
factors of wealth and population and in the development of her 
infinite resources, but in these she has only kept pace with the 
progressive spirit of this our enduring representative in the halls 
of Congress, and our political prominence today is largely due 
to the continuous and persistent efforts and the acknowledged 
ability 7, of this one man who has faithfully represented us for so 
many years. 

Three times has he already been reelected to the exalted posi¬ 
tion so meritoriously bestowed upon him in December of 1876. 
For twenty continuous years has he, labored earnestly and effi¬ 
ciently, with an eye single to th-; " his people—the 

people of Colorado and of this entire'"country—and all of these 
years, with the exception of two or three, while seated in Presi¬ 
dent Arthur’s Cabinet, have been in the line of his duties as 
United States Senator. During that time he has been an im¬ 
portant factor in making the political history of this country. 
There is not a page in the jecord which he has made that I 
would see erased, not an act of his official career that I would 
see reconsidered. He has given the better part of his life—that 
part embracing his vigorous manhood—to the cause of the 
people, and this, too, at the sacrifice of a brilliant professional 
career and of the assurance of a competence for his declining 
years. 

As it has twice before been my privilege to vote for Senator 
Teller for this important position, so today dp I esteem it a much 
greater privilege, in view of the splendid record which he has 
made, to again raise my voice in his behalf by a hearty endorse¬ 
ment of the nominations just made. 

REMARKS OF MR. STRATTON. 

Mr. President: I esteem it a great honor that to me is ac¬ 
corded the privilege of being the first Populist Senator to second 
the nomination of Colorado’s greatest and most beloved states- 
* man for reelection to his seat in the United States Senate; of 
being the second Populist Senator to raise his voice in his be¬ 
half upon this momentous occasion—an occasion which will be 
handed down in our political history as one without a parallel. 

All during the campaign last fall the Populist party and their 
candidates were accused by certain irresponsible journals and 
public speakers throughout the State of having formed combi¬ 
nations and alliances looking to his defeat. Sir, we were accused 
of seeking to perpetrate an act which would have shown us to 
have been treacherous—nay, more—in so doing we would have 

4 



50 


SENATOR TELLER. 


been betraying the dearest interests of our State and the wishes 
of our people—branding ourselves as traitors blacker than Bene¬ 
dict Arnold. Sir, when the vote of this Assembly is today re¬ 
corded, when the roll is called, you will find that each and every 
Populist Senator and Representative will cast his vote for Henry 
M. Teller, thus showing that accusation to have been, as we then 
denounced it to be, as base a lie as was ever circulated for partisan 
ends. 

Sir, I stand upon the floor of this House today as the repre¬ 
sentative of the Twentieth senatorial district—a district that by 
its vote last fall showed itself to be a banner People’s Party dis¬ 
trict of the State of Colorado—and in the name of the people of 
that district, but more especially in the name and for the People’s 
party of that district, knowing that each and every individual 
member of that party will heartily endorse the words I here 
utter, 1 second the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 


REMARKS OF MR. SCHERMERHORN. 

In behalf of the National Silver party, it gives me great pleas¬ 
ure to stand here at this time, and for several reasons—one of 
which is I want to show to the people of the First district, the 
people of Arapahoe county, that I, for one, have kept my pledge. 
It has been well said on this floor that the newspapers of this 
city, both morning and evening, urged that if the people voted 
for the candidates that were nominated by the National Silver 
party and the People’s party they would endanger the reelection 
of Senator Teller to the United States Senate. We made a pledge 
at that time that we would stand first, last, and all the time, 
when it should come to a vote, and I said to my friends, and 
wherever I spoke, that if I was elected, if there was but one man 
on the floor of this Senate that voted for Teller for his return as 
United States Senator I would be that man. and I thank God 
that I have lived to see this day, and this hour, when I can cast 
my vote for the man whose memory will last when every one of 
us may have been forgotten. The name of Teller will stand out 
and shine like silver through all time. I take great pleasure in 
seconding the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller for United 
States Senator to represent Colorado. [Applause.] 

REMARKS OF MR. SELDOMRIDGE. 

Mr. President and Senators: There is before me an honor¬ 
able and sacred duty this afternoon. I would wish for the time 
being that this body had adjured all reference to partisan feel¬ 
ing and to partisan prejudice. It seems to me, my fellow-Sena- 
tors, that we do not arise to the dignity of this occasion when 


SENATOR TELLER. 


51 


we endeavor to couple with the name of our honorable statesman 
any partisanship or party affiliation. I, for one, am satisfied to 
second the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller as a citizen 
of our common State. It seems to me that from the plains, 
mountains, valleys, and peaks there arises but one voice, and 
that voice the voice of the people for the return of Senator Teller. 
This occasion, my friends, is not only the acclaim of one polit¬ 
ical party-—nay, of any five or six political organizations—it is 
rath'er an occasion of joy and gratification of the people of this 
State, united by one common impulse and imbued with but one 
common feeling, to say to the people of this country w T e believe 
in Senator Teller. We know he has represented us, and we in¬ 
tend to stand by him. I do not think that we should lose sight 
of the fact that the people of Colorado are still determined to 
stand for the great principle which Henry M. Teller has stood 
for. The banner of free silver may have gone down in the last 
campaign, but we in our legislative bodies today serve notice 
upon the great masses of tbe American people that we have 
raised it from defeat and placed it in the hands of our honor¬ 
able champion to still further-the cause; and so, not as a Populist, 
nor as a Democrat, nor as a Silver party man, nor as a Silver 
Republican, but as a citizen of this State, I desire to second the 
nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

REMARKS OF MR. CANON. 

Mr. President : In behalf of the counties of Mesa, Delta, and 
Gunnison, which compose the Sixteenth senatorial district of the 
State of Colorado, which I have the honor to represent in this' 
body, I can say that it is the proudest political act of my life 
when I stand upon the floor of this Senate and second the nom¬ 
ination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller for the position of United 
States Senator from the State of Colorado. 

In times like the present, when widespread disaster hovers 
over the homes of the unhappy people of our land—times which 
have not had a parallel in the past history of our Republic—our 
good State may be congratulated upon having the honor of being 
represented upon the floor of the United States Congress by this 
great and good man. 

I consider him the Abraham Lincoln of this period, and I trust 
his life will be spared to continue his great fight in the interest 
of bimetallism and humanity. 

REMARKS OF MR. THOMAS. 

Mr. President : The Hon. Henry M. Teller is the National 
Silver party’s candidate for United States Senator. During 
the last twenty-four hours I have witnessed on the floor of this 



52 


SENATOR TELLER. 


chamber a most remarkable scene—a scene which seldom, if 
ever, occurs in a man’s political life. I have witnessed the Pop¬ 
ulist, the Silver Republican, and the Democratic parties all vying 
with each other as to who shall first pay homage and honor to 
the candidate of the National Silver party for the United States 
Senate. 

If this scene demonstrates anything, it demonstrates that these 
three parties are at this moment in the throes of dissolution ; 
and like a drowning man grasping at a straw, these three parties 
are grasping at the National Silver party’s candidate to save 
themselves from destruction. The National Silver part} 7 is sup¬ 
porting the Hon. Henry M. Teller because he is a member of our 
party and because he stands on our platform. 

If I can gather any meaning from the nominating speeches 
made by the other three parties, they are supporting the Hun. 
Henry M. Teller, not because he belongs to their party, but be¬ 
cause he has left the Republican party, with which he had affil¬ 
iated for over forty years. 

Mr. President, our young party is a national party. Its 
platform of principles is as. broad and as boundless as charity 
itself. Nationally, we stand upon but one plank, and that is 
the free and unrestricted coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, 
without waiting the consent or approval of any other nation on 
earth. We believe that the American people should lay aside 
for the time being all other questions until the free and unlim¬ 
ited coinage of silver has been established. This platform is 
broad enough for all parties except the English Gold party rep¬ 
resented by the Republicans. For State and local government 
we are in favor of an economical administration of all public 
affairs. We are the inveterate enemy of trusts and combines, 
and we are unalterably opposed to corporate dictation in our 
politic affairs. 

Mr. President, the five National Silver Senators who now have 
the honor to represent our party in this honorable body at some 
time in the past were members of the Republican party. We 
were compelled to leave that party because of its cowardly ad¬ 
vocacy of the single gold standard. I have been a voting mem¬ 
ber of the party for twenty-five years. I have been an admirer 
of its principles from my earliest childhood. The past history 
of the old Republican party is a glorious history. Then it was 
the great champion of human freedom ; then it was the great 
defender of the union of the States. When treason and rebel¬ 
lion sought to overthrow the American Republic it armed one 
million men ; it fought five hundred battles ; it freed four million 
slaves ; it produced the greatest statesmen and greatest generals 
known to modern times; it placed upon our statute books some 
of the most wholesome laws ever enjoyed by a free people; it 
established a system of protection by and through which the 


SENATOR TELLER. 


53 


American people became the greatest, the bravest, and the rich¬ 
est people beneath the sun. The hand of detraction can no 
more dim this record than can tears of repentance wipe away 
subsequent stains. 

But, Mr. President, what is the condition of the Republican 
party today? Purchased and controlled by the money power 
of the world.it has fastened upon the American people the single 
gold "’Standard, which, it says in its St. Louis platform, must be 
maintained until the money-lenders of Europe permit us by in¬ 
ternational agreement to establish a bimetallic system of finance. 
That once great party, which feared not to draw the sword in 
defense of the integrity of the union of the States, or tQ shed its 
blood and spend its treasure in defense of the rights of its hum¬ 
blest citizen at home or abroad, has in commission today a com¬ 
mission to supplicate at the feet of the court of St. James for 
permission to establish in this American Republic a bimetallic 
system of finance. This act of cowardice on the part of that 
once great party brings the blush of shame to the cheek of every 
loyal and patriotic American citizen. 

As a result of the cowardly betrayal of the people’s rights by 
the Republican party, 75,000 Republicans in Colorado alone left 
their party. At the head of these 75,000 stands our matchless 
leader, Henry M. Teller. There is now nothing left of the Re¬ 
publican party in Colorado except a few camp-followers. 

It was, Mr. President, no easy task for me to leave the party 
and the associations of a lifetime; but 1 could not follow my 
party to the single gold standard. In the spring of 1896 the 
Hon. Henry M. Teller announced on the floor of the United 
States Senate that the remonetization of silver was the greatest 
question of modern times; that it was a greater question than 
party fealty, and that if the Republican party committed itself 
to the single gold standard he would be obliged to leave the 
party. This announcement struck a responsive chord in the 
heart of every loyal Coloradoan, and made the platform of the 
National Silver party. 

True to his convictions and true to the people whom he rep¬ 
resented, Mr. Teller left the party. But where did he go ? Did 
he join the Populist party? No! That party does not show 
the strength here today that it had in the last Senate, by five. 
Did he join the free-trade state-rights Democratic party ? No ! 
It is true that in the last Senate the Democrats numbered three 
Senators, and they now claim five, but at least three of these 
were elected by zebra Republican votes and under a pledge to 
return the Hon. Henry M. Teller to the United States Senate. 
Did he join the so-called Silver Republican party ? No ! There 
is no such party. It represents nothing. In stock parlance it 
would be called a maverick—or, better still, it may be likened to 
a mule; it has no ancestry and no hope of posterity. 



54 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Did he join the National Silver party? Yes, Mr. President, 
he planted both feet squarely upon our national platform and 
said to the world, “ I have no creed and no platform except that 
of the remonetization of silver and its free coinage at the ratio of 
16 to 1.” And he declined to make the cowardly admission 
that the American people were not able to go it alone. 

And, Mr. President, may I say to you, and may I say to my 
fellow-Senators here assembled, representing the several polit¬ 
ical parties, and may I say to the combined gold power of the 
world, that this great man, by his noble conduct, has so en¬ 
deared himself to the people of Colorado that it was a matter 
of impossibility for any man to have been elected to a seat in 
this chamber at the late election, no matter upon what ticket 
he ran, who would not pledge himself to return the Hon. Henry 
M. Teller to the United States Senate. 

He stands today as the greatest champion of the greatest cause 
that has agitated the American people during the last century. 
One of the purest and noblest sons of our great Commonwealth, 
no greater blow can be dealt the gold power and no higher credit 
can be reflected upon the proud State of Colorado than to return 
this great commoner to the legislative halls of the nation. 

And now, sir, in conclusion, I desire to say that when the 
National Silver party held their State, legislative, and county 
conventions we pledged our candidates to support the Hon. 
Henry M. Teller for United States Senator. We went through 
the campaign and we have elected fourteen members of the 
Eleventh General Assembly. Notwithstanding our pledges, our 
zebra friends were very industrious in circulating the report 
during the campaign that we would not support Mr. Teller if 
any of us were elected. In answer to that charge, I desire to 
announce that the National Silver party stand ready and its 
members are delighted with the opportunity afforded them this 
day to fill All their pledge to the people by casting a solid vote 
for our illustrious candidate. 

On behalf of the National Silver party, I have the distinguished 
honor to second the nomination of our candidate for United 
States Senator, the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

REMARKS OF MR. MOODY. 

Mr. President : In behalf of the citizens of the Fifteenth dis¬ 
trict, believing as I do that I shall voice the sentiments of at 
least 98 per cent, of my constituents, I rise to second the nom¬ 
ination of a man who has followed the advice he gave to others 
and left all that has survived of a once great and good party— 
who has severed all ties that bound him to the organized appe¬ 
tite named the Republican party. If I believed that Senator 
Teller had joined either of the old political parties, as Senators 


SENATOR TELLER. 


55 


here have claimed, I must so believe at the sacrifice of my 
confidence in our senior Senator’s intelligence and honesty, for 
he has said that both old parties have been engaged in cutting 
the throats ol the tillers and toilers of this great country. He 
has said time and again that the* leaders who shaped the policies 
ol the old parties have betrayed the loyal millions who trusted 
them with the management of the ship of state. 

Mr. President, I propose to second the nomination of Henry 
M. 'feller to succeed himself because he is greater than any Re¬ 
publican, greater than any Democrat, because he is an American. 
He first belonged to the Democratic party, and when the Dem¬ 
ocratic party, by the acts of 1853 and 1857, contracted the cur¬ 
rency of this country by striking down, not only the silver, but 
gold coins then circulating as legal tender, he left that party. 
As an honest man, he should have left it. Later, the Republican 
party not only demonetized silver, but struck down more than 
one-half of the circulating mediilm of this country, and Senator 
Teller, as soon as he became convinced that the Republican 
party did not intend to restore the money of this country, did 
as all honorable men familiar with the circumstances should 
have done—he left the Republican part} 7 . I shall vote for Henry 
M. Teller because I know he thoroughly understands the money 
question, now the most important question before the American 
people, and, in my judgment, the most important question for 
any people to solve, as on its right solution depends the pros¬ 
perity and liberty of all civilized peoples. 

I say here, I know he understands the great question of mon¬ 
etary science because I have read many of his speeches deliv¬ 
ered during, the past two decades, and he has said that the 
American people will never have prosperity unless they increase 
their volume of money; and he has also said that no man dare 
stand before the American people and contend that there is not 
a demand for more money in this country every year, every 
month, and every week, to keep step with the growth of pop¬ 
ulation and business. And I shall vote for him because I be¬ 
lieve he stands for the whole money question, which is greater 
than the silver question, and because I believe he will insist 
upon a large increase in our volume of money. 


REMARKS OF MR. WEST. 

Mr. President : The Democratic party may have the smaller 
number of representatives in this body, but we utterly refuse 
to take second place to any in our love and respect for Henry 
M. Teller. The fact is, he belongs to but one party, and that 
party is composed of all the people of this great Commonwealth. 

As an humble member and as the representative of the people 
of Jefferson county, I second his nomination. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


56 


SPEECHES IN THE HOUSE. 

REMARKS OF MR. JENKINS. 

Mr. Speaker : Ey the unanimous instructions of the citizens 
of Gilpin county and on behalf of the people of the State of 
Colorado at large, without regard to former political affiliations, 
without respect to color, religion, or opinion, I have been ac¬ 
corded the honor of presenting for United States Senator the 
name of Colorado’s foremost and most famous son. 

He is a man whom I have known from my earliest childhood 
and a man of whom I can truthfully say “he is the greatest 
man intellectually and the strongest man morally that I have 
ever known.” 

I trust when the Eleventh General Assembly meets in joint 
convention tomorrow they will pay this grand man the greatest 
compliment of his whole life by making his nomination unan¬ 
imous. 

Mr. Speaker, and ladies and gentlemen. I have the honor to 
introduce and present the name of the Hon. Henry M. Teller, 
of Gilpin county. 


REMARKS OF MR. CROWLEY. 

Mr. Speaker and Fellow-members : We have met here today 
to elect a Senator to the United States Senate to represent this 
great State for the next six years. This, almost the first act of 
the Eleventh General Assembly, is one that the people of this 
State will be proud of. It will show to the people of these United 
States that we have meant what we said on the financial ques¬ 
tion, and will show to the people of this State that the members 
sent here to represent them have done their duties like men. 
For the first time in this State or in any State we are to vote for 
and elect a man who is not the servant of any political party ; 
a man who puts love of country above any party; a man who 
cannot be bought or coerced; a man who has grown gray in 
serving the people of this State; a man who has asked for no 
man’s vote, but does ask the people of this State to justify or 
condemn him for what he has done, and, Mr. Speaker, the vote 
will show not 16 to 1, but 64 to 1. 

I do not appeal to you as Populists, as Democrats, as National 
Silverites, or as members of any party, but to you as the repre¬ 
sentatives of this great State, not to give this man a majority 
vote, but give him the sixty-five votes of this body, and by that 
vote show to the people of the United States—yea, to the whole 
world—that we are in this fight to win. 

I speak to you as a farmer; I appeal to you not as farmers, 
not as miners, not as representatives of any class, but to you as 


SENATOR TELLER. 


57 


representatives of all classes and conditions, to cast your vote for 
a man who will look out for your interests at all times and in 
all places; a man whom the humblest citizen can approach; a 
man who has been our Senator for twenty years; a man whom 
the wealth of Hanna cannot buy. 

Mr. ^Speaker, for the farmer, for the fruit-grower, for all the 
producers of this State, by the permission of Otero county—and 
m v wife—I have the honor and pleasure of seconding the nom¬ 
ination ol Henry M. Teller for United States Senator. 

REMARKS BY MR. PHILP. 

Mr. Speaker and Members of this Assembly : It is the duty 
of this body to share in the honor of selecting a man to serve 
the State of Colorado for six years in the United States Senate. 
We shall do well if guided by ethical considerations. We observe 
that reciprocity is an universal law. Characters, individual and 
national, attain symmetry, beauty, and happiness in the fulfill¬ 
ment of mutual obligations. “ With what measure you mete 
it shall be measured to you.” Under circumstances of pleasant 
and binding relations between a people and a servant, moral ob¬ 
ligation and the sense of gratitude bids personal ambition sub¬ 
side. Part} r discipline and partisan ties are cast aside before 
the imposing merits of a good and faithful servant. We echo 
the voice of our State when we praise him ; we utter the emotions 
of her heart when we pay tribute to his worth ; we fulfill a great 
desire of her people when we repay, even poorly, the services of 
Henry M. Teller. 

We ask his return to the Senate, not because he filled the stand¬ 
ard of some political party, not because he has brought prestige 
or success to the narrow confines of partisan domain, not because 
be has done much in the destruction of some political party in 
a nominal sense, but because he has proven himself too big for 
party gauge, declaring human rights more sacred than party 
ties, that the preservation and perpetuation of human liberty as 
intended under our form of government was of greater concern 
than party success. Fearlessly he rent the mask of hypocrisy, 
regardless of the political form it was intended to conceal. The 
great sham of tariff sought to be made permanently paramount 
in the political arena he has been chief in relegating. Nowand 
henceforth the financial monopoly is on trial and shall be judged 
in the highest human court and finally condemned, as it is the 
inveterate foe of free institutions, free ballots, and a free people. 

In his deeds of service we feel that national glory lias been 
eminently subserved; he has filled his station and duties in the 
series of years that have gone before us in a manner reputable 
and distinguished ; his mind is filled with the vast conceptions 
of human rights and human possibilities. We find him among 


58 


SENATOR TELLER. 


the apostles of justice, on the side of the disinherited, strug¬ 
gling against the organized forces of greed. We hail him to re¬ 
newed courage, effort, and hope. “ Speak to the people to go 
forward ” before the Red sea of oppression deluge their liberties. 
Teach them that the ballot is mightier than the sword—infi¬ 
nitely greater for good when directed by the heart that feels the 
thrill of love that comes from equal liberty; more dastardly 
than the sword when exercised by an indifferent and unpatriotic 
hand. Shame the creature that bears the name “American 
citizen ” who for a paltry sum makes merchandise of the most 
sacred human right, a freeman’s will! Pity the high-toned rab¬ 
ble who prate of morals, virtue, and high honor, yet steal with¬ 
out compunction the birthright of their fellow-men. Help them 
to be real Americans after the fashion of true greatness. 

We would commission, for reasons many and ample, Henry 
M. Teller to resume his seat in the United States Senate, to con¬ 
tinue the conflict for the common rights of all, for the establish¬ 
ment and maintenance of an American financial system. May 
he smite and spare not the usurpers of governmental functions 
until the people repossess every right under the Constitution to 
which they are entitled. Elect him to proclaim anew to those 
who may assemble in the counsels of this mighty nation that 
money is purely and solely a creation of law; that while it is 
now permitted to be master of the masses of mankind, under 
laws yet to be enacted it shall become the servant and savior of 
Christian civilization. 

The aggressions of monopoly shall not degrade this magnificent 
Commonwealth to solitude. The sterling forces of brawn and 
brain which wrested her from the savage and the wilderness will 
guard, defend, and forward it to the highest civil munificence. 
The wickedness of a one sided competitive warfare shall cease. 
The music of cooperative effort shall bring peace with its de¬ 
lights. We shall thus go forward to the development of our 
powers, and from agriculture, manufactures, and commerce 
wealth shall gush forth abundantly under the free activity of 
unrestrained enterprise. 

We share the contumely of him who dares to be in a minority. 
The thing more devoutly to be wished, the more has it ever been 
reviled and persecuted. Let men who doubt the ability of the 
people for self-government, who think it a mission peculiar to 
their own abilities to run the financial department of this Gov¬ 
ernment, ridicule, malign, and misrepresent. We know, with 
our Senator, that truth shall prevail; that right, not might, shall 
rule this land. Greater adversities than have recently been borne 
may come upon the people of this State, yet they will continue 
to be faithful, grateful, and proud of Senator Teller and the cause 
he serves and we all love. Colorado, sending her mountain sum¬ 
mits to the skies, ribbed with silver and gold, surrounded with 


SENATOR TELLER. 


59 


fruitful soil and climate as wholesome as touches the earth be¬ 
neath the stars, her people will remain undaunted, brave, and 
true, ever striving to maintain their rights. They will hail with 
joy the coming glory of futurity. 

Mr. Speaker, members of the Eleventh General Assembly, fel¬ 
low citizens, it is with the utmost pride and pleasure I second 
the nomination for the United States Senate of the Hon. Henry 
M. Teller. 


REMARKS OF MR. o’NEILL. 

Mr. Speaker: I desire to say a few words in seconding the 
nomination of this gentleman, whom the people of the State of 
Colorado have honored politically for years. My reason for 
paying my humble tribute is based upon the fact that previous 
to the election the corporation press of Lake county charged that 
were I elected a member of the Eleventh General Assembly my 
vote and influence would be directed toward the defeat of Henry 
M. 'feller. I am now proud of the opportunity, upon the floor 
of this House, to hurl backat the subsidized press of Lake county 
the infamous imputation. It is true that Mr. Teller does not 
belong to my political faith. It is true that he does not up¬ 
hold or defend all the principles that are incorporated in the 
platform of the party to which I belong. For nearly forty years 
he has stood under the folds of the Republican banner as an un¬ 
compromising and unflinching champion. He has been iden¬ 
tified with the Republican party since that party was an infant 
in its cradle. Lie has shared in all the grand achievements of 
his party, and has been instrumental in aiding Republicanism 
to write some bright and glowing chapters in the history of this 
nation. He has been a prominent factor in the van of his party 
in keeping alive the Republicanism of an Abraham Lincoln 
combined with the pure Democracy of a Thomas Jefferson. But 
for the past few years he has viewed with sorrow the spectacle 
of the party which he aided in reaching the zenith of its glory 
being shackled by the money power of Wall street, and has be¬ 
held with sadness the leaders of his part) 7 turning their ears to 
listen to the cabled messages that have been flashed across the 
ocean from the bankers of England. 

He has remained with his party struggling to hold aloft its 
early principles; but, alas ! he has failed in the struggle. The 
saddest hour of his political life was when he stood upon the 
floor of the St. Louis convention and bade farewell to the party 
of his young manhood, bade it farewell until such time when 
other men shall dare ‘‘ to beard the lion in his den ” and break 
from the limbs of Republicanism the chains and shackles of 
Sh vlock bondage. Who of us upon the floor of this Llouse can 
forget the gems of oratory and the diamonds of truth that fell 



60 


SENATOR TELLER. 


from his lips as he stood upon the floor of that ever-memorable 
convention and in the solemn grandeur of his magnetic elo¬ 
quence appealed.to the Samsons of his party to rise above the 
influences and power of mammon and perpetuate and preserve 
the prosperity of seventy millions of people. 

We admire the daring spirit of the soldier who dashes on amid 
the din of musketry and the boom of cannon to win for himself 
a name in the annals of military glory; but the man who severs 
the political friendships of a lifetime in order that he may re¬ 
main true and loyal to the people whom he represents soars to 
a plane of heroism where military prowess has never reached. 

Who of us can forget the streams of eloquence that have issued 
from Mr. Teller’s lips in the Senate chamber, suggesting Young 
Columbia pleading with the giants of the Republican party to 
extend a protecting hand and save the industries of the Rocky 
mountains from the ruthless hand of destruction? 

There is a mighty lesson in the life of a great and good man 
that influences ages and advances the banner of right toward 
that pregnant hour when the anomalies of the present shall pass 
away and the reign of justice be proclaimed throughout the 
nations of the world. 

I am a Populist. I am not here as the representative of cor¬ 
porations or syndicates, but as the representative of the plain, 
common people of the greatest silver-mining city (Leadville) on 
earth, and I feel that I am echoing the sentiments of my people 
when I say to you that my vote shall be cast first, last, and all 
the time for the return of Henry M. Teller to the Senate of the 
United States. 

I feel that he is a man of the people. 

I feel that he believes that every subject of this nation who 
stands beneath the folds of the Stars and Stripes should be a 
man without a master and without a slave. 

I feel that he believes that the brave men who shouldered the 
musket and went forth to the field of battle did not stand amid 
the storms of shot and shell in order that members of banking 
syndicates might wear the purple of uncrowned kings at the ex¬ 
pense of heroism and the blood of our hallowed dead. 

I feel that be believes that evei\y drop of blood that reddens 
the page of American history was shed in order that the whole 
people might weave around their homes those smiles of gladness 
and joy that emanate from honest industry. 

I cannot forget the tribute he paid to my party a few years 
ago in the Senate of the United States when he said, “What 
gave to the People’s party of this country more than a million 
of votes? I want to call the attention of the Senate and of the 
country to the fact that this million of votes did not come from 
the large cities; that it did not come from the slums; that it 
did not come from the foreign population which have not assim- 


SENATOR TELLER. 


61 


dated with us, but that it came from the best blood and the best 
brain of the American people.” Such were the brave words of 
this grand man who dared to meet the cyclone of political wrath 
in order that his public record might soar in that atmosphere 
of purijty where the leprosy of dishonor could not contaminate. 
I earnestly hope that when the vote is counted we shall be able 
to flash the tidings to theShylocks in their gilded dens on Wall 
street that the members of the House and Senate, by a unan¬ 
imous vote, have again placed the crown of political honor upon 
the brow of Colorado’s fearless silver champion, Hon. Henry M. 
Teller. 


REMARKS OF MR. PARK. 

Mr. Speaker and Fellow-members of the Eleventh Gen¬ 
eral Assembly of Colorado : It affords me great pleasure to be 
present at the proceedings here today. 1 have never yet had the 
honor of casting m 3 " vote for a United States Senator; but I trust 
that itVill be but a short time now until I shall have that honor, 
and it seems to me that my “ Tines have fallen in pleasant places,” 
for there is no man that I have ever known that I would rather 
cast my vote for, or that is more worthy of my vote or of the vote 
of any member of this assembly for that high position, than the 
Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

In watching the proceedings here today I have been deeply 
impressed with the unanimity that exists among the members 
of this assembly with reference to the selection of a United States 
Senator. I question if such a unanimity has existed among so 
many different factions in any convention since the one that 
nominated General Washington for the Presidency the first time. 
Here we have an assemblage of sixty-five representatives from 
all parts of this great Commonwealth, representing varied inter¬ 
ests and representing some five or six different and distinct polit¬ 
ical parties, and yet we hear the name of Henry M. Teller from 
the lips of almost every member as the only person worthy of 
consideration for the high office of United States Senator. This 
circumstance to me speaks volumes for the future political wel¬ 
fare of our State. The State is to be congratulated. It shows 
an independence in political thought that seldom exists. It is 
said that men are controlled by party ties and party prejudices, 
and are therefore unable to recognize worth unless within their 
own party lines; but the sentiment shown here today proves 
that the people of Colorado can rise above party lines and party 
prejudices and recognize honesty, ability, and worth wherever 
it may be found. 

Unlike the gentleman on my right, who preceded me (Mr. 
O’Neill), I am happy to say that I have always belonged to the 
party which Mr. Teller has honored by his membership. Until 


62 


SENATOR TELLER. 


last fall I never cast a vote for a national candidate that was not 
a member of the Republican part}', and I had always been proud 
to call myself a Republican and to vote for the principles which 
that party represented ; but when Mr. Teller, at St. Louis, refused 
to endorse the financial plank of the Republican platform I felt 
that I could safely follow his example and vote for the national 
candidate representing my views on the money question. 

I have always admired the courage and ability of the Hon. 
Henry M. Teller. Long before I came to the State of Colorado 
I admired his course in the United States Senate. He exhibited 
ability and honesty of purpose such as few of his colleagues 
possessed ; and when I came to Colorado and determined to cast 
my lot with this flourishing young State my admiration for Mr. 
Teller increased, and I have always been proud to say that I am 
a citizen of the State which is so ably represented in the United 
States Senate. 

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no man throughout the length 
and breadth of this State that can so ably represent us in the 
Senate as Henry M. Teller. He is a man of extraordinary ability. 
His honesty and integrity are unimpeachable. He is well in¬ 
formed on all the great questions of the day, and for the past 
twenty years he has made a special study of all the questions 
that especially affect the welfare of our own State Send him 
back to the United States Senate, and Colorado will continue in 
the future, as she has been in the past, to be one of the most 
ably represented States in the Union. I therefore, on behalf of 
the people of the entire State, and especially on behalf of the 
people of Pueblo county, second the nomination of Henry M. 
Teller. 


REMARKS OF MR. ROHDE. 

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Eleventh General 
Assembly: It affords me more than passing pleasure at this 
time to second the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

It would seem that the gentlemen who have preceded me 
have practically covered the complimentary ground, and about 
all I have left to say is, that on behalf of the people of El Paso 
county and the greatest gold district in America [Mr. Rohde’s 
home is in the Cripple Creek mining district], I second Mr. 
Teller’s nomination, and in doing so I voice the approval of 
nearly every man, woman, and child of my district, who approve 
the course of that peer of silver champions, the man above all 
others who has stood, in season and out of season, as the repre¬ 
sentative of the people and fought many brilliant fights, where 
he will continue for another six years, Providence permitting, to 
fight, as he has done before, for the rights of his State and nation. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


63 


REMARKS OF MR. HELBIG. 

Mr. Speaker : I desire to second the nomination of that noblest 
nobleman of them all, who has so richly earned that title, not 
by grant from any foreign power, but by the gratitude of his 
countrymen ; and I second his nomination not only on behalf of 
the people of the State of Colorado, but of the people of the entire 
country—aye, on behalfof civilization and humanity. As proud 
as I am of the State of my nativity, which gave us a Thomas 
Jefferson and the first Declaration of Independence, 1 am none 
the less proud of the State of Colorado, my adopted home, rep¬ 
resented in the most august tribunal of the world by that match¬ 
less champion of the liberties of mankind, Henry M. Teller, who 
proclaims to all the world the modern declaration of independ¬ 
ence : that silver as well as gold, like all people, regardless of 
their class or condition, is by nature entitled to the equal pro¬ 
tection of our laws. 


REMARKS .OF MR. PARK. 

Mr. Speaker: I also, at this time, deem it a great honor, on 
behalf of the Democratic convention that placed mein nomina¬ 
tion for the position I now hold, to second the nomination of 
the “ Gladstone of Colorado,” the Hon. Henry M. Teller, and I 
will repeat at this time what I often said during the late cam¬ 
paign, that it would be the happiest moment of my life to have 
the honor to cast my vote for the return of Henry M. Teller to 
the United States Senate. 

REMARKS OF MR. ROE. 

Mr. Speaker: Never more than now have I wished for the 
gifts of an orator in order to properly represent the sentiments 
of my constituents upon this occasion. 

The hardy prospectors searching for treasure on the moun¬ 
tains above timber line, the woodmen in our forests, the mer¬ 
chants in our cities and towns, the cattlemen and farmers, citi¬ 
zens of every vocation, demand in no uncertain terms the return 
of Henry M. Teller to the United States Senate, and I feel that 
I would be recreant to my duty did I not rise to second his 
nomination at this time. 

Therefore 1 second the nomination of Henry M. Teller. 


REMARKS OF MRS. HEARTZ. 

Mr. Speaker: On behalf of the labor organizations of the 
State of Colorado, and also on behalf of my lady supporters in 


64 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Arapahoe county, I with great pleasure second the nomination 
of “ Colorado’s Grand Old Man.” 


REMARKS OF MRS. CONINE. 

Mr. Speaker: Whenever I hear the name which has been 
brought up for our consideration this morning there comes ever 
before my mind the picture of an elderly man, his head bowed 
in grief, but his step firm, as he turns his back upon the associa¬ 
tions of a lifetime and marches out of the St. Louis convention. 
What that sacrifice may have cost him we probably cannot esti¬ 
mate. And so, because he set before the nation an example— 
not too frequent—of one who cared more for the best interests 
of his country than for his own, and because he placed principle 
before party, 1 second, on behalf of the loyal women of Colorado, 
the nomination of Henry M. Teller. 


REMARKS OF MRS. BUTLER. 

Mr. Speaker: 1 deem it a great honor to have the privilege 
of seconding the proposition to return Hon. Henry M. Teller to 
the United States Senate, not only for myself, but also on behalf 
of the great majority of the women voters of the Commonwealth 
of Colorado. 

We are certainly fortunate in having a candidate who is one 
of the foremost representative men of the country and one of 
grandest men of the times, who considered principle and the in¬ 
terest of humanity above party. In returning him to the halls 
of Congress we show to the country that we are loyal to the 
Silver cause. 


REMARKS OF MR. RYAN. 

Mr. Speaker : In behalf of the people of Custer county, I 
take great pleasure in seconding the nomination of a man whom 
all her people love and honor. That man is Henry M. Teller. 


REMARKS OF MR. STEWART. 


Mr. Speaker: I, too, rise to second the nomination of one 
whom all Colorado delights to honor—a man of whom it might 
be said, as was said of one, “ He is first in the hearts of his 
countrymen; ” and in the name of every man, woman, and child 
of Jefferson county, I heartily endorse the nomination of Senator 
Teller. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


65 


REMARKS OF MR. BUCKLIN. 

On behalf of the free-traders of Colorado, I second the nomina¬ 
tion of Henry M. Teller. 

The difference in principle between the Wilson-Gorman bill 
and the McKinley bill is simply the difference between tweedle¬ 
dum and tweedledee. In fact, there is no difference in principle 
at all, and only a slight difference in percentages. One of these 
bills taxes sugar and lets wool in free ; the other taxes wool and 
lets sugar in free. I would let both in free. 1 would have no 
tariff taxes at all, but would collect our national revenue by a 
direct tax, because a tax on what people have is much more just 
and wise than a tax on what they consume. 

Why, then, do I, a free-trader, support Henry M. Teller for the 
United States Senate? For the reason that, to my mind, the 
greatest question before the people is neither the tariff* question 
nor the silver question, but the question of abolishing industrial 
slavery, and on this question I believe.Teller is all right. 

We are in the midst of a political crisis greater than this nation 
has ever before passed through. In 1776 the question was that 
of freedom from the domination of a foreign government. In 1860 
the question was that of freeing four million chattel slaves. But 
now the question is that of freeing seventy millions of people, 
not from chattel slavery, but from a refined and heartless condi¬ 
tion infinitely more cruel than chattel slavery, for in chattel 
slavery it was the master’s interest to feed, clothe, and shelter 
the slave and keep him in a good bodily condition, while in in¬ 
dustrial slavery for every slave who dies one hundred are ready 
to take his place. The question is not so much how does our 
Senator stand on minor questions as does he stand for democracy 
or plutocracy—for the rights of the people or for the privileges 
of the few. The man who is true to the people will be compelled 
to take the right side of lesser questions sooner or later. The 
truth of this is illustrated by the fact that Teller has already been 
forced to vote against his former Protectionist friends on several 
occasions. 

I am willing to trust Teller. I will vote for him, not because 
I agree with him in everything nor because I think him perfect, 
but because I believe his heart beats responsive to the heart- 
throbs of the toiling masses ; because I believe that he can do 
more for Colorado, more for the American people, and more for 
humanity than any one else we could elect. 

REMARKS OF MR. MONSON. 

Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House of Rep¬ 
resentatives of the Eleventh General Assembly : On behalf 


5 


GG 


SENATOR TELLER, 


of the great county of Weld, a county which I have the honor 
of representing on the floor of this House, I take great pleasure 
in seconding the nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller for 
the office of United States Senator, for should I fail to avail my¬ 
self of this opportunity 1 would feel that I had not voiced what 
I know to be the unanimous sentiment of the people that I rep¬ 
resent. And now, Mr. Speaker, if any one had told me ten years 
ago that I would be guilty of casting my vote for a Republican, 
or for any one who had ever affiliated with the Republican party, 
for the office of United States Senator, I being a dyed-in-the-wool 
Democrat, I would have said, Mr. Speaker, that the one making 
the assertion was a lunatic and should not be at large ; but now 
I deem it one of the greatest honors that 1 have ever had, or 
will ever have the privilege of performing, that of seconding the 
nomination of the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that there is such a unanimous clamor 
here on the floor of this House for one and the same purpose. 
As a general thing I want to see opposition, so that the oppos¬ 
ing forces may have an opportunity to advocate their cause and 
principles. That is why I am sorry that the sentiment for Mr. 
Teller is so unanimous; we have not the opportunity to rebut 
any argument that might be advanced against his nomination, 
and no occasion to tell the many reasons, above all others, that 
the Hon. Henry M. Teller should represent the people of what 
we claim to be the greatest State of the Union in the Senate of 
the United States Congress—a man whose name is the household 
word of every good citizen of the State of Colorado. 

I have seen the time when a man, in my judgment, could not 
be guilty of a meaner crime than of bolting his political party, 
I cared not what his excuse was ; but now, Mr. Speaker and ladies 
and gentlemen of the House of Representatives of the Eleventh 
General Assembly, I have changed my mind, for when such a 
man as the Hon. Henry M. Teller has walked out of a conven¬ 
tion of the Republican party, a party which has honored him 
as few parties have honored men, I feel that it would be no cross 
and no disgrace for any member on this floor to break away from 
their party when in their judgment they could serve the masses 
better elsewhere. I say, Mr. Speaker, the man who does not 
under the same circumstances do as did the Hon. Henry M. 
Teller is not worthy of the name of man. 


REMARKS OF MR. STEVENS. 

Mr. Speaker: There are somethings which I approach with 
caution ; there are some works before which I stand in silent 
admiration; there are some thoughts which words cannot be 
found to fully and properly express. Of such is the admiration 


SENATOR TELLER 


67 


of the people of this State for the character and public services 
ot our senior Senator. 

During the excitement of a political campaign things are 
sometimes said which will not bear examination in the light of 
truth, and such have been many of the statements made during 
the recent campaign in this State in regard to the choice of legis¬ 
lative candidates for United States Senator. I do not believe 
that there has at any time been seriously considered for that 
office by any of the candidates for the Legislature of the Silver 
Republican party, the Democratic party, the Populist party, or 
the National Silver party the name of any other person than 
that of our senior Senator. 

He belongs to no political party; he belongs to the people of 
the State of Colorado; and yet it cannot detract anything from 
his honors or from the force of the many nominating speeches 
made in his behalf to have it said, as I now say, that every man, 
woman, and child in one political party is in favor of his return. 

In behalf of the National Silver party pf this State, and as its 
unanimous choice. I take pleasure in nominating for United 
States Senator the Hon. Henry M. Teller. 

REMARKS OF MR. LAVELL. 

Mr. Speaker : In behalf of Elbert and Lincoln counties, whose 
people have by an overwhelming majority expressed their love, 
admiration, and high respect for Hon. Henry M. Teller, I take 
great pleasure in carrying out their wishes by heartily seconding 
his nomination for the important office of United States Senator. 

REMARKS OF MU. GARDNER. 

Mr. Speaker : This is the seventh time I have participated in 
the election of United States Senator from Colorado, and it is the 
fourth time I have assisted in the election of Senator Teller. 

The papers say that this is Mr. Teller's third election. I de¬ 
sire to correct that. This is his fifth election, and should Mr. 
Teller be spared us six years and should I then be a member of 
the Assembly, I shall again vote for him. Should I not be here 
the county of Douglas, the county I represent, will be found 
supporting Mr. Teller. 

OTHER HOUSE SPEECHES. 

Speeches were also made in the House of Representatives by 
Hume Lewis, Eugene Engley, Lee Champion, J. T. Shumate, 
J. S. Greene, Bo Sweeney, J. T. Hart, C. N. Crowder, John Cres- 


68 


SENATOR TELLER. 


well, J. T. Pierson, and L. H. Pruden, but as they did not pre¬ 
serve any notes of what they said, their remarks cannot be here 
reported. 


THE JOINT MEETING. 

A Denver newspaper account of the proceedings of the joint 
Assembly on the ‘20th of January is as follows: 

“ Had Hon. Henry M. Teller secured his reelection to the 
United States Senate after a contest of the most stubborn sort, 
interest in the event could not have been more intense than was 
manifested yesterday when the honor that had practically been 
unsought was bestowed upon him by the representatives of 
nearly the entire people of the State. The very elements of 
unanimity and certainty that would ordinarily relieve the pro¬ 
ceeding of all but a passing interest seemed to conspire to the 
creation of a spirit of excitement and enthusiasm that would 
have been the natural result of exactly opposite conditions. 
The business of the Assembly was simply to canvass the vote of 
the members, known to be almost unanimous for the reelection 
of Senator Teller, and to make formal announcement of the fact; 
yet the simple ceremony was clothed with an interest that even 
the members of the Assembly felt so keenly that other work dur¬ 
ing the morning hour was practically out of the question, and 
but little of it was attempted. Scheduled routine matters were 
disposed of in short order and the members gave themselves up 
to preparation for the joint session of the two Houses and con¬ 
templation of the pleasure awaiting them in the promised ad¬ 
dress of acknowledgment from the man whom they had delighted 
to honor. Marked as the interest of the members of the Assem¬ 
bly was, the enthusiasm of the people was greater. State officials, 
representatives of all political parties, business men, and citizens 
generally, by hundreds, sought admission to the House chamber 
where the ceremonies were to take place. 

“ It was known that Senator Teller was in the city and had ex¬ 
pressed a willingness to at least briefly address the Assembly and 
such of his friends as were able to secure admission to the cham¬ 
ber, and the fact spurred the eager crowds to every effort to gain 
admission. While the limited size of the chamber prevented 
hundreds from gaining admission, all classes were represented in 
the throng that waited with eager anticipation the coming of the 
favored son of Colorado, cheered his appearance to the echo, 
hung upon his words of acknowledgment, and joined in the ova¬ 
tion that followed his address. So great were their interest and 
enthusiasm in the bestowal of honors upon Mr. Teller that the 
very mention of the insignificant support that had been given 
another man by Mr. Teller’s opponents aroused a protest among 


SENATOR TELLER. 


69 


the spectators, but it was lost in the enthusiasm over a victory 
so great and sweeping that its participants could afford to be 
magnanimous. 

“ The address of the Senator was impressively delivered and 
was received with every mark of appreciation. His review of the 
causes leading up to his withdrawal from the party at whose 
birth he had officiated and from whose hands he had received 
great honors was almost pathetic, and impressed his hearers with 
the courage of the man to sacrifice everything for his honest con¬ 
victions, and made more forceful his statement that whenever 
his convictions led him to part from the people of Colorado on 
any vital issue he would leave them as he had left the party 
which had deserted the people in the last campaign. So com¬ 
pletely did the immense audience sympathize with the Senator 
that when he completed his address his cheeks were not alone 
wet with tears, and the final burst of applause and cheers came 
as a pleasant relief from the tensity of feeling that had been 
aroused by his address.” 

Following is the official account of the proceeding: 

On the call of both Houses all were present except Senators 
Bolsinger and Morton. 

The secretary of the Senate read such part of the journal of 
that body for the day previous as related to the election of United 
States Senator. 

The clerk of the House read such part of the journal of that 
body for the day previous as related to the election of United 
States Senator. 

Following the reading of the journals the lieutenant governor 
announced: 

By the record of the vote just read I find that the Senate of 
the State of Colorado cast 30 votes for Hon. Henry M. Teller for 
United States Senator for the term beginning on the fourth of 
March, 1897, and 3 votes for Hon. George W. Allen, and that 
the House cast 62 votes for Hon. Henry M. Teller and 3 votes 
for Hon. George W. Allen. Mr. Teller having received a majority 
of all the votes cast in both Houses, I now declare him elected 
Senator for the State of Colorado for the term of six years from 
the fourth of March, 1897. 

Senators Barela and McCreery and Representatives Hume, 
Lewis, Allen, and Crowder were appointed a committee to pro¬ 
ceed to the lieutenant governor’s room and escort Senator Teller 
to the chamber. 


70 


SENATOR TELLER. 


LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BRUSH’S SPEECH. 

Senator Teller appeared in the chamber, escorted by the com¬ 
mittee, and in introducing him Lieutenant Governor Brush said: 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Eleventh General Assem¬ 
bly : Seldom does it fall to the lot of a presiding officer to have 
the pleasure that I have today, of introducing to you a man who 
has been unanimously elected a Senator of the United States by 
four representative parties of his State, and who has received 
almost the unanimous vote of a General Assembly for this high 
office. This most unusual compliment has fallen to him whom 
I now present to you, and he has thus been elected to succeed 
himself and for a term of six years commencing March 4, 1897. 

No one party can claim the victory. The victory belongs to 
the people of Colorado, and has been expressed through her 
representatives. He belongs to all the people of the State of 
Colorado and to the United States. His long, earnest, and con¬ 
scientious endeavors to represent the people of this State in the 
Senate have given him the almost unanimous vote of her repre¬ 
sentatives. 

May Providence protect him and strengthen him to represent 
our people with the same earnestness and vigor with which he 
has represented them in the past. I now have the pleasure of 
introducing to you our Senator-elect, Henry M. Teller. 


SENATOR teller’s RESPONSE. 


In response Mr. Teller said : 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly of Colo¬ 
rado: I shall not attempt to express to you the gratitude that 
I feel for the kindly support which you, as the representatives 
of the people of this State, have given to me. It rarely falls 
to the lot of any man, no matter how fortunate, to receive a com¬ 
pliment of such a high character as you gave me on yesterday ; 
and he who could express in words fitting any response would 
be most happy in his gift of language. I shall not attempt to 
return to you thanks in words, for words are often idle and 
meaningless, but I shall endeavor as your representative to make 
you feel by my zeal in your interest and in behalf of the inter¬ 
ests of the people of the United States that I am not wanting in 
appreciation of the great compliment that you have extended 
to me. I also hope I may make you feel that I am not entirely 
unworthy of the confidence that you have reposed in me. [Ap¬ 
plause.] 

I feel that your unanimity on yesterday is not born entirely of 
respect and confidence in me, but that in part, at least, it was an 


SENATOR TELLER. 


71 


exhibition of your belief in and your devotion to the great and 
fundamental principle of economic law. I realize that the una¬ 
nimity with which the people of this State at the last election 
expressed themselves was not because of their devotion to a man, 
but because of their devotion to a principle; and it will be my 
duty to illustrate that I am at least in this respect the equal of 
my constituents, and I shall not forget that such unanimity on 
your part and on the part of the people of this State in defense 
of a great economic principle requires from me more, if possible, 
of effort and devotion to your interests than I have heretofore 
exhibited. 

I cannot but recall as I look over this audience and the mem¬ 
bers of this General Assembly that I see at least some who par¬ 
ticipated in my election twenty years ago, and the twenty years 
that I have endeavored to serve the people of this State in a 
public capacity have at least, I hope, demonstrated that, what¬ 
ever may be my ability, at least my efforts, however feeble, have 
been devoted to the interests of the State. [Applause.] 

The last year has been one of remarkable experiences in Amer¬ 
ican politics, but to some of us it has been more remarkable than 
to others. For myself, I may say to you, my fellow-citizens and 
my constituents, it has been an exceedingly trying one. Your 
great interest—a local interest, to some extent—in the question 
of what shall be the monetary system under which the people 
of the United States shall live has brought me in close contact 
with the great economic question, as to what should be the proper 
system of finance for the country at large—whether it should be 
one American in character or one born of foreign influence. 
Careful attention and careful study for many years have im¬ 
pressed me that it is not an ordinary question. It is not a ques¬ 
tion of politics or of policy, but a question that involves the very 
liberties, the very freedom, and the very prosperity of not only 
the people of Colorado, and not only the people of the United 
States, but indeed of all mankind. In my judgment, no ques¬ 
tion has ever been presented to the American people of equal 
importance. 1 know that in saying this I make a statement that 
may well he challenged. I know when I recall the occurrences 
of a few years ago, when a million men were assembled at arms 
for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of this great Govern¬ 
ment, that they believed that to be the greatest question that 
had ever been presented and the greatest question that could ever 
be presented to the people. But if there had been a division of 
the country—if the war had left two flags floating, one in the 
north and one south of the Mason and Dixon line—there might 
still have been prosperity and freedom and the maintenance of 
right institutions at least north of that great line, whatever there 
might have been south. 

With an absolutely vicious and wicked financial policy, I 


72 


SENATOR TELLER. 


think myself—and I think I am supported by history—it will 
be impossible to maintain a free government and a free people. 
Such must inevitably be the case with such a vicious system of 
finance as is now sought to be foisted upon us by foreign influ¬ 
ences. [Applause.] 

So believing and so feeling, I conceived it to be my duty to 
you when the test was made , when the party with which I had 
affiliated from its organization; when the party that had hon¬ 
ored me as few men have been honored—when I felt that that 
party was passing away from the great fundamental principles 
upon which it had been builded and upon which we had main¬ 
tained it; when I felt that the party was about to adopt as the 
principal feature of its organization in the future a system of 
finance that I believed meant all that was evil—I felt it to be 
my duty, I say, to step out of that organization [prolonged ap¬ 
plause], and I feel it my duty to remain out of it until such time 
as better manhood shall prevail and it shall return, if it shall, 
to something like its original state, when great questions, when 
the interests of the great mass of the people were nearest and 
dearest to it. and not when it was simply the defender of a for¬ 
eign monetary system. [Applause.] 

I knew when I took that step that to some extent I must for¬ 
feit the good will of many people whose confidence I desire to 
retain. I knew that no man ever broke political ties without 
complaint from those who could not see the way as he saw it. 
I did not know whether the State would sustain me or not. I 
am grateful and thankful to know today that the people of Col¬ 
orado, with a unanimity that is seldom exhibited, have sustained 
me in that which to me was the most painful and distressing act 
of my political life. [Applause.] 

I am tolerant of those who disagree with me upon this great 
question, which, as I view it, involves so much. I have not in¬ 
sisted that my political opponent who thought otherwise should 
agree with me. I have attempted to educate my own conscience 
and to inform myself. I have studied the history of mankind 
and I have studied this economic question with reference to its 
influence upon the prosperity and the happiness and the progress 
of the race. The conclusion formed is my own, and my con¬ 
science dictated to me what course I should pursue. To the 
views of those who have attempted also to inform themselves 
upon the subject and who have not come to the same conclusion 
as I have, I repeat, I am tolerant; and I wish to say I shall not 
be severe upon or critical of their acts. 

I assume that every citizen of this great State will act in ac¬ 
cordance with his judgment, so as to produce, if possible, pros¬ 
perity, happiness, and progress, not only in the State, but in all 
of the sisterhood of States. I wish today I could come before 
you with bright news on this question, and I wish I could give 


SENATOR TELLER. 


73 


you the encouragement which you desire to receive. I can only 
say that this campaign through which we have come is, to my 
judgment, the most memorable in many ways of all the cam¬ 
paigns of American history, because of the great importance of 
the issue involved and also because of the interest exhibited in 
it by the people—an interest never surpassed if equaled in any 
campaign in this or any other land. 

The great interest in a sound and proper financial system, a 
righteous and equitable system, a system that shall deal fairly 
with all classes of society, a system that shall give free men 
equal rights for free government as safe as is guaranteed, has 
been the motive in many hearts in this last campaign. {Six 
millions and a half, or nearly, of men registered themselves in 
favor of a bimetallic system. [Applause.] I want to say to 
you that, having done two months of active campaigning in the 
East, I know that all the men who voted for McKinley are not 
gold-standard men; that thousands of them believe with us, 
that bimetallism is necessaiy, that bimetallism is essential to the 
prosperity of the country, and some or many believed it could 
be achieved or secured through the influence of the Republican 
party ; and so believing, patriotic and honest as they were, they 
voted for the Republican candidate. If I had so believed 1 should 
have voted that way myself. I did not so believe, and I regret 
to say—I say today, that there is nothing in the recent history 
of the Republican party to justify the hope that the Republican 
organization as now constituted will furnish us the slightest relief 
in the next four years that this administration now coming in is 
to exist. We may as well make up our minds that no relief will 
come either from this source or any other during that period 
of time. Unless something unforeseen shall occur in Europe, 
we will continue upon the gold standard, with all the attendant 
evils, until the close of this new administration and the begin¬ 
ning of another. 

I know that there has been recently some talk about an in¬ 
ternational agreement. There will never, in my judgment, be 
international agreement touching this question that does not 
proceed on diplomatic lines. This was so in 1892, when we en¬ 
deavored to have the Government of the United States take steps 
to secure an arrangement with the other powers. Then, because 
of British antagonism, we were not fortunate in securing the 
consent of the other nations to do more than increase the use of 
silver. If the rumor is true, and I am bound to say I believe it 
is, that Mr. Sherman will be the Secretary of State, we may give 
up any hopes of international agreement under the McKinley 
administration. [Applause.] 

But yet, because our relief may be deferred, it is not reason¬ 
able or proper to be discouraged and cease our efforts. T his is 
a question of manhood. A great teacher and great scholar who 


74 


SENATOR TELLER. 


recently passed away, General Francis A. Walker of Massachu¬ 
setts, declared that the question of international bimetallism 
was the question of civilization. And that is true, my friends. 
He also said in a letter to me that the gold standard was a step 
in the direction of barbarism ; and they know, who have stud¬ 
ied the history of the world and who have studied the history 
of every effort that has been made to get the gold standard and 
to maintain it, that it means intense suffering and very great 
distress. It means a retrograde movement, a movement back¬ 
ward and not forward, and it puts the whole human family, 
so far at least as they act under the influence of that vicious 
system, in the position in which, instead of complying with what 
I believe to be the natural law of mankind, there is retrogression 
and a tendency to retard the influence of the civilization of the 
present day. I do not believe you can maintain civilization to 
a high degree; that you can maintain morality at a high stand¬ 
ard, or that you can maintain religion, except you bring pros¬ 
perity and gladness to the people. People who are in hunger 
and want have never been very intelligent or patriotic or good. 
[Applause.] A nation to be free must give its people—and every 
man is of its people—an opportunity to make for themselves more 
than a bare living—more than bread and meat. Every one of 
them must have an opportunity by which he can bring his chil¬ 
dren up properly, so that they can discharge the great duties of 
freemen. In a monarchy or an aristocracy this privilege may 
be for only a few, but in a republic the great mass of men make 
the government and control the nation and all its principles, and 
we shall go backward into the dark ages from which we have 
emerged unless we recognize the rights of men everywhere to be 
equal before the law. [Applause.] 

Now, with this system which they are putting upon us they 
cannot, in my judgment, be so, and because I believed this ques¬ 
tion was so important and the influence of the s} T stem was so 
wicked, I have been willing to break away from my political 
organization and stand condemned by, I believe, more than one- 
half of my countrymen as untrue and possibly as ungrateful. 
The step has given me sorrow such as few men ever experience. 
But if I have the approval of the people of my own State, I do 
not care what other men may say. [Applause.] And when I 
do not have it; if the time shall ever come when my conscience 
and yours part; when your views do not coincide with mine, 
I shall give you without hesitation, no matter in what period of 
my term it ma}^ be, an opportunity to elect a man to occupy 
my seat in the Senate who shall stand with you. [Prolonged 
applause.] 

I recall the fact that this is not the first instance in which the 
people of the State have expressed their confidence in me. I 
recall the fact that when I returned from the St, Louis conven- 


SENATOR TELLER. 


/O 

tion you met me with open arms and made me feel, as only 
the people of this State could make me feel, that I had made no 
mistake. My judgment, I found, was with yours and yours with 
mine; and I want to say now, that after months have passed 
subsequent to our political conflict, and the excitement that may 
have been incident to it has subsided, and when we can look at 
it fully, freely, and deliberately, without regard to the result, my 
conscience is clear and my judgment acquits me of all mistakes. 
Furthermore, I want to say that I believe we made no mistake 
in this State when we gave the magnificent majority that we did 
for that distinguished gentleman who headed our ticket, Mr. 
Bryan. [Loud applause.] 

1 repeat, in conclusion, I would like in some way if I could 
by word to convey to you the great satisfaction that I feel at the 
expression of confidence which you extended to me by your 
vote yesterday. I should not feel it so much if I did not believe 
that you were representing the great mass of my constituents of 
this State. The bare support of the legislative body would not 
be satisfactory to me if 1 did not feel that the Legislature repre¬ 
sented the sentiment of the people of the State; and so feeling, 
I wish it were possible for me to command language to express 
to you and to the people of the State how much I appreciate the 
nearly unanimous vote that you gave me on yesterday. I say 
again, in conclusion, that I can only make you feel that I appre¬ 
ciate it by devotion to your interests and the interests of the 
great cause of the people. 

There are other things connected with political life besides 
the money question. There are other influences to be consid¬ 
ered, but I will not take time to explain my position on them 
in detail. I believe at the foundation of all rests the money 
question, and that the other questions, as to what shall be the 
policy upon this question or on the other, is very largely de¬ 
pendent upon that. I trust that on any of these things that are 
presented for my examination and action that I shall be able to 
keep in touch and harmony with the people of this State. I 
know that our friends in the East sometimes have looked upon 
us in the West ns lacking in that culture and as falling short of 
that high standard of honor which they claim for themselves. 
[Applause and laughter.] Having had nearly forty years’ ac¬ 
quaintance with the people of this State and knowing how false 
is the insinuation, I always feel angry when that suggestion is 
made. I know that the great West and the great central region 
of the country contain within their borders as much patriotism, 
as much love of county, as much obedience to law and order as 
can be found in any part of the world. [Applause.] I know 
that the Legislature of Colorado in every session has exhibited 
these qualities. I know, ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature 
of Colorado, that you will exemplify that course during this 


76 


SENATOR TELLER. 


session. They will have no reason to complain of us or charge 
us with being anarchists or extremists or destroyers of public 
credit, or those who care not for the honor of the American 
people or of mankind. 

I thank you most sincerely now for your attention, and 1 
pledge you that when I return to Washington I will endeavor 
to serve you as best I can ; and I say to the Legislature that I 
belong to that class of politicians that recognize the right of the 
legislative body to give instructions. If your instructions are 
of a character 1 cannot follow, it is my duty to give way for one 
who will follow them ; and if you have upon any question pre¬ 
sented to Congress a desire to express an opinion as to my 
action, I trust you will have no delicacy in so doing, and I shall 
endeavor, if without sacrifice of principle, to conform my wishes 
to yours. Thanking you for your kindly attention, I will close 
by saying that after the General Assembly shall have adjourned 
it will afford me the greatest pleasure to take you one and all 
by the hand. [Great applause.] 

When Mr. Teller had concluded the immense crowd on the 
floor of the House, in the galleries, and in the corridors shook 
him by the hand, a ceremony that required considerable time. 


A WORD FOR SENATOR DUBOIS. 

The matter of a resolution and message addressed to the Idaho 
Legislature was taken up as soon as the proceedings connected 
with the reelection were over, and Representative Crowder, of 
Otero, introduced the following, which was agreed to : 

“ To the Honorable the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
State of Idaho , the Eleventh General Assembly of the State of Col¬ 
orado sends greeting: 

“ The Eleventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado in 
joint session has just reelected Hon. Henry M. Teller to the 
United States Senate as the representative of the whole people 
of the State. Mr. Teller received 92 out of the total of 98 votes 
cast, being the united votes of all Silver elements. Colorado 
heartily recommends that her sister State of Idaho similarly re¬ 
ward the able services of her able Senator and statesman, Fred 
T. Dubois.” 


The joint session was then dissolved. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


77 


CONGRATULATIONS FROM OTHER LEGISLATURES. 

On the day after Mr. Teller’s election the following resolu¬ 
tions from the Legislature of Idaho were read and placed on file 
by the Colorado Legislature: 

“Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3. 

“ Whereas the cheerful intelligence has been received that the 
Legislature of Colorado has proven magnanimous enough to rise 
above partisan bias, and has by unanimous vote of all the sil¬ 
ver advocates of that body returned to the Senate that peerless 
champion of bimetallism, that advocate of the people’s rights, 
Henry M. Teller: Therefore be it 

“ Resolved , That the Legislature of the State of Idaho sends 
greetings and congratulations to the Legislature and the people 
of the banner State of the Union for thus honoring a statesman 
to whom honor is due; be it further 

“ Resolved , That the president of the senate and the speaker 
of the house of representatives be, and they are hereby, requested 
to notify the like officers of the Legislature of the State of Colo¬ 
rado of the adoption of this resolution and forward each a copy 
thereof. 

“ George F. Moore, 

“ Lieutenant Governor. 

“A. H. Alford, 

“ Speaker of the House.” 

The Arizona Legislature also unanimously passed in both 
branches a resolution congratulating Senator Teller on his re- 
election to the Senate, and terming him the “ fearless champion 
of free silver and the champion of the masses against the classes.” 
and urging that he continue his “ fearless fight for the free coin¬ 
age of silver at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1.” The polit¬ 
ical complexion of the Legislature was : Democrats, 30; Repub¬ 
licans, 5. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


78 


MEMBERS OF THE ELEVENTH GENERAL ASSEM¬ 
BLY OF COLORADO. 


SENATE. 


Members. 

Politics. 

Post-office. 

County. 

Term 

EXPIRES. 

Adams, W. H. 

Dem. 

Alamosa 

Conejos . 

1900 

Barela, Casimiro. 

Dem... . 

Trinidad 

Las Animas.... 

1900 

Blakey, Austin. 

Pop. 

Leadville. 

Lake.." 

, 1898 

Bolsinger, H. C. 

Pop. 

Central Pity 

Gilpin . 

1898 

Bromley, E. A. 

Pop. 

Brighton 

Arapahoe 

1900 

Campbell, J. 0. 

Pop. 

Rico. 

Dolores. 

1898 

Canon, Benton. 

Dem. 

Grand Junction 

Mesa,... 

1898 

Carnev, Francis. 

Pop. 

On ray. 

Ouray... 

1898 

Crosby, James. 

Pop. 

Harman... 

Arapahoe .. 

1900 

Crowe, Patrick. 

Pop. 

Leadville... 

Lake.... 

1898 

Evans, J. C. 

S. R. 

Ft. Collins. .. 

Larimer . 

1898 

Felton, W. B. 

S. R. 

Cafion City. 

Fremont 

1900 

Gallagher, Joseph . 

Pop.... 

Silver Plume 

Clear Creek.... 

1900 

Gaymon, 0. K . 

S. R . 

Dillon . 

Summit . 

1900 

Gordon, J. R . 

Rep . 

Pueblo . 

Pueblo.... 

1898 

Harris, J. J . 

N. S . 

Dolores ... 

Montezuma. ... 

1900 

Kennedy, A. R . 

Rep . 

Cripple Creek 

El Paso . 

1898 

Locke, Charles E. 

Rep..’ . 

Denver . 

Arapahoe.... 

1898 

Maxwell, J. P . 

S. R . 

Boulder ... 

Bonlrler 

1900 

Moody, F. E . 

Pop . 

Monte Vista.. 

Rio Grande 

1898 

Morton, J. G ... 

Rep . 

Pueblo . 

Pneblo 

1898 

McCreery, J. W . 

S. R . 

Greeley . 

Weld.... 

1900 

McNeely, J. T. . 

Rep . 

Silver Cliff. ... 

Custer 

1898 

Painter, J. H . 


Holyoke 

Phillips 

1898 

Porterfield, C. S . 

Pop . 

Pueblo 

Pneblo 

1900 

Reuter, Oscar . 


Denver . 

A rfl pn.L op 

1898 

Schermerhorn, J. R . 

S. R . 

Denver . 

Arapahoe 

1900 

Seldomridge, H. H. 

T)ern... . 

Colorado Springs . 

TCI Pjiso 

i one 

Sours, P. J . 

Rep.... 

Denver 

A rn tvi 1 1 op 

1898 

Stratton, T. H. 

Pop . 

Lake George . 

Park . 

1898 

Swink, G. W . 


Rocky Ford 

(Hero 

1900 

Taylor, Edward T . 

N. S . 

Glenwood Springs... 

(Li r fi pi d 

l non 

Thomas, T. H. 

N. S . 

Denver . 

■ *<ii ii' iii ......... 

A l*fi TA* 11J OP 

1 (inn 

West, Leander . 

Dem . 

Golden 

il 1 il IhlllOv. 

.T pffp rson 

1 l/UU 

1900 

Wheeler, B. Clark . 

N. S. 

Aspen . 

Pitkin. 

1900 







































































































































SENATOR TELLER, 


79 


HOUSE. 


Members. 

Politics. 

Post-office. 

County. 

Anderson, H. L. L. 

Dem.... 

Trinidad 

Las Animas. 
Larimer. 

San Juan. 
Arapahoe. 
Arapahoe. 
Mesa. 

Summit. 

Allen, L. G. 

Pod. 

Loveland 

Annear, Thomas. 

Pop. 

Silverton... 

Butler, Olive C. 

Rep. 

Denver... 

Bodle, Thompson. 

N. S. 

Denver... 

Bucklin, S. W. 


Grand .Tnnotion 

Crow, Geo. W. 

Dem. 

Breckenridge. 

Creswell, John. 

N. S. 

Denver... 

Arapahoe. 

Arapahoe. 

Arapahoe. 

Fremont. 

Arapahoe. 

Pitkin. 

Otero. 

Weld. 

Chaffee. 

Conejos. 

Boulder. 

Cooke, Persifor M. 

Pop. 

Denver. 

Chamberlain, Curtis. 

Pop.... 

Denver.. 

Champion, Lee. 

: 1 . 

Dem. 

Florence 

Conine, Martha A. B. 

Non-partisan ... 
N. S. 

Denver... 

Crowder, C. N. 

Aspen... 

Crowley, J. H. 

Pop. 

Rocky Ford 

I)e Votle, H. M. 

Rep. 

Greeley. 

Ehrhart, T. J. 

Dem. 

Centreville_ 

Engley, Eugene. 

Socialist. 

Alamosa.... 

Flansburg,Isaac. 


Longmont. 

Gardner, J. F. 

Rep. ..:. 

Franktown. 

Douglas. 

Conejos. 

Pueblo. 

Garcia, Celestino. 

Rep. 

Conejos.... 

Greene, J. S. 

Hilgenhaus C. F 

Dem. 

Pueblo. 

S R 

Telluride .. 

San Miguel. 
Dolores. 

Homfeld, L. G.,. 

Dem. 

Rico...’.;. 

Hart, J. T.... 

Pop 1TI 

Red Cliff. . 

Eagle. 

Arapahoe. 

Arapahoe. 

Heartz, Evangeline. 

Pop. 

Denver. 

Helbig, J. W..... 

N. S. 

Denver. 

Hurlbut, E. W. (Speaker). 

Jester, J. A. 

N. S. 

Dem. 

Cripple Creek. 

Ward. 

El Paso. 
Boulder. 

Jenkins, W. 0. 

Dem. 

Central City. 

Gilpin. 

Boulder. 

Jones, J. F . 

Dem. 

Louisville. 

La Veil, F. N... 

Dem... 

Elbert. 

Elbert. 

Lawrence, J. S. 

Rep. 

Gunnison . 

Gunnison. 

Lewis, A. R. 

Dem... 

Durango. 

La Plata. 

Lewis, Hume. 

Dem... 

Pueblo. 

Pueblo. 

Montez, J. D_ 

Rep... 

Malachite. 

Huerfano. 

McClure, Jas. E_ 

Dem. .. 

Montrose. 

Montrose. 

Monson, T. L. 

Dem. 

Ft. Lupton. 

Weld. 

Nicol, Geo. A. 

Pop. 

Denver. 

Arapahoe. 

Arapahoe. 

Lake. 

Orvis, J. W. 

N. S. 

Gloheville. 

O’Neill, J. M ... 

Pop.... 

Leadville. 

Park, Jas. A. 

Rep. 

Pueblo. 

Pueblo. 

Park, Andrew. 

, . . 

Dem. 

Pueblo. 

Pueblo. 

Pierson, J. T_ 

Pop. 

Ouray. 

Ouray. 

Arapahoe. 

Logan. 

Kit Carson. 

Philp, C T 

Pop. 

Denver. 

Powell, W J .. 

Pop. 

Sterling. 

Price, T. G 

Rep. 

Burlington. 

Pruden L H 


Howbert. 

Park. 

Ryan, Edward Jr .. 

Dem. 

Silver Cliff.. 

Custer. 

Roe Clark W 

Pop ....„ 

Amethyst . 

Mineral. 

Rohde W E 

Pop. 

Pop. 

Victor. 

El Paso. 

Robbins, I). W. 

Colorado Springs. 

Trinidad. 

El Paso. 

Sweeney Bo 

Dem. 

Las Animas. 

Shumate J. T ... 

Dem.... 

Glenwood Springs... 
Meeker . 

Garfield. 

Sheridan F E 

Rep. 

Rio Blanco. 

Salazar, A. A. 

Stevens R E 

Rep. . 

San Luis. 

Costilla. 

N. S. 

Denver. 

Arapahoe. 

Stewart Harvey 

Dem . 

Alcott. 

Jefferson. 

Sechrist E L 

Pop. 

Wray. 

Yuma. 

Wood ward F P 

ZL r 

Dem... 

Hastings. 

Las Animas. 

Walker Clark . 

Pop. 

Granada. 

Prowers. 

Waltman G T 

Pop. 

Idaho Springs. 

Clear Creek. 

Warden J M 

Pop. 

Lockett. 

Saguache. 

Wolfe, Richard. 

I 

Pop. 

Denver. 

Arapahoe. 

Whitney, Alex. E. 

Wilber,"Ernest. 

Pop. 

Leadville. 

Lake. 

Pop. 

Buena Vista. 

Chaffee. 



























































































































































































80 


SENATOR TELLER. 


BIOGRAPHY OF SENATOR TELLER, 

Henry Moore Teller is of Holland stock, his ancestors being 
among the early Dutch settlers of Manhattan island. His father, 
John Teller, was born in Schenectady, New York, but at the time 
of the son’s birth lived at the town of Granger, in Allegany county, 
of that State, where Henry M. Teller was born on the 23d of May, 
1830. His mother, Charlotte Moore Teller, who now resides at 
Morrison, Illinois, and is in her ninetieth year, is of New Eng¬ 
land origin and a native of Windham, Vermont. The first years 
of Mr. Teller’s life were passed upon his father’s farm in Alle¬ 
gany county, and the first money he earned was paid him for 
work in the harvest fields of his father’s neighbors. 

Senator Teller is a self-made man. He early in life evinced 
an ambition to secure a better education than was afforded by 
the schools in the immediate vicinity of his father’s home, and 
sought access to the neighboring institutions of learning. He 
attended for a time Alfred University, at. Alfred Centre, which 
has since conferred upon him the degree of LL. D., and after¬ 
wards, for four years, the academy at Rushford, at which place 
he sustained himself, at first by farm labor and later by teach¬ 
ing school during the time of vacation. He taught for seven 
years, and then entered the law office of Hon. Martin Grover, 
of Angelica, New York, afterwards of the New York court of 
appeals, where he remained for three years, being admitted to 
the bar in January, 1858. Later in the same year he removed 
to Whiteside county, Illinois, and afterwards, in 1861, to Cen¬ 
tral City, Colorado, where he has since maintained his legal 
residence. 

Although a young man when he removed to Illinois, Mr. 
Teller took an active part in politics during his brief residence 
in that State, which covered one of the most exciting periods 
politically in the State’s history, embracing as it did the Lincoln- 
Douglas debate, the Presidential campaign of 1860, and the be¬ 
ginning of the War of the Rebellion. Mr. Teller had begun life 
as a Democrat, but only a few years after the attainment of his 
majority he espoused the principles of the then newly formed Re¬ 
publican party. He became an admirer and staunch supporter of 


SENATOR TELLER. 


81 


Mr. Lincoln, and lie took an active part in the campaign which 
resulted in Mr. Lincoln s nomination and election to the Presi¬ 
dency. He attended the national convention of 1860 at Chicago, 
and went on the stump after the nomination. 

While never losing his interest in politics after he removed to 
Colorado and keeping at all times abreast of public affairs and 
in thorough touch with the masses of the people, Mr. Teller de¬ 
voted himself assiduously to the practice of law in that Territory, 
and except for a brief service as major general of the Colorado 
State militia in 1868, never held any office until he was elected 
to the United States Senate upon the admission of the State into 
the Union in 1876. 

Thoroughly grounded in the principles of the law, he imme¬ 
diately took a high rank in the practice, and from the time of 
his arrival at Central Cit}g in 1861, until his'election to the Sen¬ 
ate, 15 years later, conducted a larger law business than any 
other lawyer in that section of the country. He was engaged 
upon one side of almost every lawsuit of importance tried in 
the Territory during that time. 

From the beginning of his residence in Colorado he made the 
interests of the Territory his especial study, and at all times took 
a prominent part in the questions of the day. He organized 
the Colorado Central railroad in 1865, and was its president 
until the line was consolidated with the Union Pacific, five years 
later. He was known throughout the Territory, and when the 
time came for choosing representatives of the State in the Sen¬ 
ate at the National Capital, after the admission into the Union 
in 1876, there was little division of opinion as to the selection 
in this case. After the first State election, in October, 1876, he 
announced himself as a candidate for the United States Senate. 
He received the caucus nomination of the Republican party, and 
on the 14th day of November, 1876, Hon. J. B. Chaffee and he 
were elected as the State’s first United States Senators. At the 
convening of the Senate on the 3d of December, 1876, he drew 
the Senatorial term ending March 3, 1877, and in December, 
1876, was elected for the full term of six years commencing on 
the 4th day of March, 1877. 

That the choice of the people of the new State made by the 
first State legislature has been sanctioned and sustained by their 

6 


82 


SENATOR TELLER, 


successors is shown by the fact that he has since been reelected 
four times, and has been kept in the Senate, almost without 
effort on his part, unless the performance of official duty may 
be designated as such effort, during the entire period of the 
State’s existence, except three years, from 1882 to 1885, when 
he served as Secretary of the Interior in President Arthur’s cab¬ 
inet. Mr. Teller entered the cabinet on the 17th of April, 1882, 
holding this position until the 3d day of March, 1885, when, 
upon the expiration of President Arthur’s term, he retired to 
resume his seat in the Senate, having been in the meantime 
reelected to that body. In the winter of 1891 he was reelected 
to the Senate, without opposition in his own party, for another 
full term of six years. The particulars of his reelection to his 
present term, which will expire in 1903, have been detailed in 
preceding pages. 

He accepted a Cabinet position with reluctance, and only 
after great pressure had been brought to bear upon him, but 
administered the affairs of the Interior Department in a most 
efficient and satisfactory manner. His experience as a lawyer 
and his knowledge of all the questions coming before the Depart¬ 
ment gained from his long residence in the West especiall}^ 
adapted him for the duties of chief of this Department. 

When he left the Senate to enter the Interior Department Mr. 
Teller had already attained a high rank as a forcible debater, a 
careful investigator, and a hard worker. He first became known 
nationally through the prominent position he took in investi¬ 
gating the election frauds of 1876 in the Southern States, and 
he has ever since maintained the position then attained by the 
familiarity he has displayed with all questions that have come 
before the Senate and his fearlessness and force in dealing with 
them. While he has made a specialty of financial questions, 
espousing particularly the cause of the restoration of the free 
coinage of silver, he has never allowed any question of general 
importance to come before the Senate without giving it his care¬ 
ful consideration. A man of convictions, he never fails to take a 
position on one side or the other, and few Senators are more fre¬ 
quently heard in the general debates. He has been especially 
prominent in dealing with legal and western questions and ques¬ 
tions of foreign policy, and also of the tariff and other subjects 


SENATOR TELLER. 


83 


pertaining to the revenues of the Government. He is at present 
chairman of the Committee on Claims, which, next to the Com¬ 
mittee on Pensions, deals with more bills each session than any 
other of the Senate committees. He is also a member of the 
Committees on the Judiciary, Appropriations, and Rules, three 
of the most important of theSenate committees. During his sen¬ 
atorial career Mr. Teller has served as chairman of six different 
committees, viz, Pension, Mines and Mining, Patents, Privileges 
and Elections, Five Civilized Tribes of Indians, and Claims. 

Mr. Teller was married in 1862 to Miss Harriet M. Bruce, of 
Cuba, New York. They have three children, a daughter and 
two sons. 

He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, having 
long since attained to the 33d degree, and is now Inspector 
General of the Order. He is a Past Grand ‘Commander of the 
Knights Templar, and he was for seven years Grand Master of 
the Order in Colorado. 

In a book entitled “ Life Sketches of Great Lawyers,” pub¬ 
lished by the Lawyers’ International Publishing Company in 
1894, a sketch of Mr. Teller was printed, and from it the follow¬ 
ing extract is made: 

“ Mr. Teller is the most popular man in his State, and received 
a triumphal ovation in the leading Colorado cities upon his re¬ 
turn from the special session of Congress in 1893, where he had 
championed free silver. As a lawyer, in full practice, he was 
the leader of the State bar, and perhaps is the best-equipped 
mining lawyer in the Rocky Mountain country, there being 
scarcely a case involving large interests in which lie is not re¬ 
tained. Before a jury he is plain, clear, and concise. It is as 
near thirteen men reasoning together as it is possible for it to be. 
He is persevering, simple, kind, cheerful, gentle, generous, and 
approachable.” 

PROFFER TO RAISE TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Senator Teller did not participate as a soldier in the War of 
the Rebellion, but that he stood ready to do so is shown by the 
following correspondence. Mr. Teller’s proffer was made soon 
after his arrival in Colorado. The correspondence was recently 
brought to light by the editors of the Rebellion Records and 


84 


SENATOR TELLER. 


brought to the Senators attention. The correspondence fol¬ 
lows : 

Mountain City, Colo. Ter., May 20, 1861. 
Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War. 

Sir : Here in these mountains we have hundreds anxious to 
contribute to the support of the Government and to assist in 
maintaining the integrity of the flag of our country. If we or¬ 
ganize companies will the Government accept our services ? If 
we had the assurance that the volunteers would he accepted, 
there would be no lack of men inured to toil and hardships 
ready to enlist for the war. 

Yours respectfully, Henry M. Teller. 

War Department, 
Washington, D. C., June 3, 1861. 

Henry M. Teller, Esq., Mountain City , Colo. Ter. 

Sir: In reply to your letter of the 24th ultimo, asking if the 
Government would accept of any troops from Colorado Terri¬ 
tory, I beg leave to say that this Department has no desire at 
present to raise troops at so great a distance from the scene of 
action, the pressure from the States nearer home for admission 
into the army being so great as to compel us to decline troops 
every day. 

Very truly yours, Simon Cameron, 

Secretary of War. 


TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO. 

The following sketch of Mr. Teller was printed in the Rocky 
Mountain News the day after his first election to the Senate: 

“ Now that the Hon. Henry M. Teller has been chosen to fill one 
of the highest offices in the gift of the State, a short account of 
his career will interest the public. In height he is about five 
feet and ten inches. He has black hair and eyes and is of dark 
complexion. He is, in a word, a fine specimen of physical man¬ 
hood, and has a head that marks him as a man of great intellect 
and force of character. As a gifted orator, close thinker, and 
logical reasoner, his reputation is well established, and whether 
on the stump, before a jury, or in the chambers of a judge, he 
always puts his arguments in the most forcible light, and, we 
need not say, rarely fails to carry his point 

“ He was born in Allegany county, New York, May 23, 1830, 
and was, consequently, forty-six years old last May. He has a 
robust constitution and is in the very prime and vigor of man¬ 
hood. He was educated at Rushford Academy and Allegany 


SENATOR TELLER. 


85 


University, both of which institutions are in his native county. 
Like a great many other men who have achieved success by their 
own exertions and by doing whatever they found to do, he was 
a school-teacher for about seven years of his life. Thorough has 
been the motto ol his life and is the secret ot his success. In 
1855 he commenced the study of law with Judge Grover, in the 
town ol Angelica, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 
January, 1858. He was one of the young men who took Gree¬ 
ley’s advice and came West to grow up with the country, soon 
after he was admitted to the bar. He first settled at Morrison, 
Whiteside county, Illinois, where he formed a law partnership 
with H. A. Johnson, which continued during his residence in 
Illinois and for some time after settling in Colorado, Mr. John¬ 
son having also emigrated to the Territory. Mr. Johnson is now 
practicing law in New York city. The* subject of this sketch 
came to Colorado in April, 1861, and was on his way on Ben. 
Hollada}^’s overland stage line when Sumter was fired upon. 
He settled in Central when he came to Colorado, where he has 
ever since resided, forming a law partnership some years ago 
with his brother Willard. The firm is known as one of the 
strongest law firms in the State. Their almost uniform success 
at the bar has made the firm an enviable name, and they can 
name their fees in any important case. General Teller has long 
been recognized as at the head of the Colorado bar, either as an 
advocate or office lawyer, and he will be a Senator of whom the 
Centennial State and the Republican party may well feel proud. 
He will take his seat the peer in intellect and ability of any 
member of that august body. 

He was a Democrat in his boyhood and cast his first Presi¬ 
dential vote for Pierce in 1852. He left that organization in 
1853, and was among the most active organizers of the opposi¬ 
tion to the repeal of the Missouri compromise, which organiza¬ 
tion afterward became known to the world as the Republican 
party. He stumped his county for Fremont, making his first 
political speech at Angelica in favor of that gentleman in 1856. 
He did effective work stumping his county in Illinois for Lin¬ 
coln in 1860, and has always taken an active part in every cam¬ 
paign since, and has been one of the most powerful workers in 
the Republican party, having done as much as any other gen¬ 
tleman in the northern portion of the State to maintain its 
integrity. His speeches in the canvass just closed were among 
the most powerful and convincing efforts ever made on the 
stump in Colorado, their main element of force consisting largely 
in the conviction that Henry M. Teller never says what he does 
not fully mean. He is unquestionably one of the best posted 
real estate and mining lawyers in the State, and yet, without 
neglecting his practice, he has become an extensive property 
owner. From his well-known liberality and comprehensive 


86 


SENATOR TELLER. 


breadth of mind, we are satisfied there will never be occasion 
for the people of any section of the State to find fault with his 
course in the Senate. His standing and ability will enable him 
to do more for the south than perhaps could have been achieved 
by one of her favorite sons. Through all the vicissitudes of 
politics and an immense law practice he has maintained a spot¬ 
less integrity, and the breath of calumny has never tarnished 
his name. A warm-hearted and generous friend, an open, un¬ 
disguised enemy, there is not a man acquainted with him, how¬ 
ever much he may differ with him in politics or with reference 
to law points, but respects him for his moral courage, integrity 
of character, his courteous and modest bearing, and unflinching 
adherence to what he believes to be right. He has been married 
fourteen years and is the father of three children.” 


SENATOR TELLER. 


87 


FIRST ELECTION. 

It is interesting in this connection to review briefly the events 
connected with Mr. Teller’s first election to the Senate. He and 
Hon. J. B. Chaffee were chosen at the same time by the legisla¬ 
ture, but the Republican caucus had first decided upon Mr. 
Chaffee. As Mr. Chaffee was from the northern part of the State, 
there was some disposition on the part of the Republican mem¬ 
bers from the southern counties to hold out for a man from that 
section for the other senatorial position, and this circumstance 
operated to delay the nomination of the second man by the 
caucus until the morning of the day the Legislature was to act, 
the 14th of November, 1876. Mr. Teller had himself insisted 
upon Mr. Chaffee’s election as a condition precedent to his own 
election, saying he would not be a candidate upon any other 
condition. 

The Rocky Mountain News of the next day printed the proceed¬ 
ings of the caucus and of the Legislature. Of the caucus the 
paper said: 

“ The Republican legislative caucus reassembled at 9 o’clock 
yesterday morning, and it soon became evident that the southern 
members were no nearer to an agreement than on the previous 
evening, and furthermore that they were indisposed to agree 
upon a southern candidate, preferring rather to vote for Henry 
M. Teller than for any other than their favorite candidate from 
their own section. In the Monday evening caucus one informal 
and six formal ballots had been taken with the following result: 

“ Informal. —Chilcott, 12; Hallett, 14; Teller, 6; Jackson, 12; 
Arnett, 2; Johnson, 1; Brown, 1. 

“ First formal. —Chilcott, 13; Hallett, 11; Teller, 16; Jackson, 
6; Johnson, 1; Brown, 1. 

“ Second. —Chilcott, 13; Hallett, 9; Teller, 16; Jackson, 9; 
Arnett, 1. 

“ Third. —Chilcott, 13; Hallett, 8; Teller, 18; Jackson, 8; 
Blank, 1. 

“ Fourth— Chilcott, 12; Hallett, 11; Teller, 13 ; Jackson, 12. 

“Fifth. —Chilcott, 13; Hallett, 10; Teller, 15; Jackson, 10. 

“Sixth. —Chilcott, 10; Hallett, 9; Teller, 16; Jackson, 13. 

“ But forty eight votes were cast, Hon. D. Ransom, of Boulder 
county, being absent and excused for sickness. It will be seen 
that the southern candidates never received less than thirty votes 


* 


88 SENATOR TELLER. 

in the caucus, four more than enough to nominate. On reassem¬ 
bling yesterday the first ballot resulted : Teller, 23; Chilcott, 10; 
Hallett, 8, and Jackson 7 ; whereupon Hon. W. H. Green, repre¬ 
sentative from Hinsdale county, rose and asked leave to change 
his vote from Chilcott to Teller. Leave was granted, and then 
Senator Meyer, of Costilla, followed suit, and in turn was fol¬ 
lowed by Representative Gotthelf, of Saguache. The deed was 
done, and Henry M. Teller received the caucus nomination hy 
the votes of southern members who had been conspicuous in 
advocating the claims of the opposition. At 12 o’clock the 
caucus nominations were ratified by the votes of every Repub¬ 
lican member present, Mr. Ransom being still absent.” 


THE LEGISLATIVE ELECTION. 

Following is the account then printed of the election of the 
State’s first two United States Senators following the caucus on 
the same day: 


IN THE SENATE. 

Mr. Bennet offered the following : 

“ Resolved , That the Senate do now proceed to the election of 
two persons for United States Senators for the State of Colorado, 
and to that end that the election be had for one Senator at a 
time, and be had viva voce , according to law.” 

Carried. 

The Senate then proceeded to the election of two United States 
Senators for the State of Colorado. 

Nominations being in order, Hon. William A. Hamill nom¬ 
inated Jerome B. Chaffee, of Arapahoe county. 

Hon. James Clelland nominated Thomas Macon, of Fremont 
county. 

There being no further nominations, the roll of Senators was 
called, and the vote of the Senate was recorded as follows : 

For Jerome B. Chaffee : Senators Bates, Butters, Chacon, Ells¬ 
worth, Gardner, Hall, Hamill, Haynes, Henson, Johnson, Max¬ 
well, Meldrum, Meyer, Moynahan, Randall, Rockwell, Saunders, 
and Webster—19. 

For Thomas Macon: Senators Barela, Clelland, De France, 
Guassoin, Hamilton, Hill, and Taylor—7. 

The result of this vote was duly declared by the President, 


SENATOR TELLER. 


89 


and nominations being in order, Hon. James P. Maxwell nom¬ 
inated Henry M. Teller, of Gilpin county. 

Hon. A. H. De France nominated William A. H. Loveland, of 
Jefferson county. 

There being no further nominations, the roll of the Senate 
was called, and the vote of the Senate was recorded as follows : 

For Henry M. Teller: Senators Bates, Butters, Chacon, Ells¬ 
worth, Gardner, Hall, Hamill, Haynes, Henson, Johnson, Max¬ 
well, Meldrum, Meyer, Moynahan, Randall, Rockwell, Saunders, 
and Webster—19. 

For William A. H. Loveland: Senators Barela, Clelland, De 
France, Guassoin, Hamilton, Hill, and Taylor—7. 

The result of the vote was declared by the President, and the 
Senate took a recess until 2 p. m. 

IN THE HOUSE. 

At 2 o’clock the House again convened, and the Speaker an¬ 
nounced that the special order for this hour was balloting tor 
two United States Senators from the State of Colorado. 

A call of the House was had and Mr. Pierce was found to be 
absent. 

The sergeant-at-arms came in with Mr. Pierce, and further 
proceedings under the call were dispensed with. 

Hon. Isaac Canfield nominated Jerome B. Chaffee for United 
States Senator, and Hon. George Rand nominated William A. H. 
Loveland. 

The ballot was taken with the following result: 

For Jerome B. Chaffee: Representatives Alberts, Alford, 
Archuleta, Canfield, Gotthelf, Green, Griffin, Helm, Kittridge, 
Kruse, Lake, Leonard, Mayer, Marshman, McBroom, McIntyre 
Morehouse, Patten, Phelps, Pierce, Rainey, Schinner, Simmons, 
Smith, Surles, Vigil, Watts, George W. Wilson, Young, and An¬ 
thony—30. 

For William A. H. Loveland: Representatives Adams, Chacon, 
Chaves, Carlile, Esquibel, Irwin, Langford, Laragoite, Lord, 
Luther, McDermott, McMurray, Moss, Rand, Seiber, Stokes, 
Wilkins, and A. D. Wilson—18. 

The announcement of the result was greeted with applause in 
the lobby, which was quickly checked by the Speaker. 


7 


90 


SENATOR TELLER. 


Hon. T. F. Simmons then nominated Henry M. Teller, and 
Hon. David F. Wilkins nominated Thomas Macon for United 
States Senator from Colorado. 

The ballot was taken with the following result: 

For Henry M. Teller: Representatives Alberts, Alford, Archu¬ 
leta, Canfield, Gotthelf, Green, Griffin, Helm, Kittridge, Kruse, 
Lake, Leonard, Mayer, Marshman, McBroom, McIntyre, More¬ 
house, Patten, Phelps, Pierce, Rainey, Schinner, Simmons,Smith, 
Surles, Vigil, Watts,George W. Wilson,Young,and Anthony—30. 

For Thomas Macon: Representatives Adams, Chacon, Chaves, 
Carlile, Esquibel, Irwin, Langford, Laragoite, Lord, Luther, Mc¬ 
Dermott, McMurray, Moss, Rand, Seiber, Stokes, Wilkins, and 
A. D. Wilson—18. 

Mr. Ransom was the only member absent, he having been 
excused on account of sickness. 

The lobby again applauded at the announcement of the result. 

COMMENT. 

Commenting upon the result, the News, which was then the 
property of Hon. W. N. Byers, still an honored citizen of Denver, 
said : 

“ The long agony is over. The Colorado Senators are chosen, 
and their names are Jerome B. Chaffee and Henry M. Teller. 
This result, which some have foreseen from the beginning, was 
effected by a unanimous vote of the Republican members present 
in each House, and apparently with their hearty consent. The 
contest between the partisans of other gentlemen whose names 
were presented for the honor of the high office had been waged 
so earnestly and protracted so long that almost with one accord 
they accepted the success of Mr. Teller as the nearest possible 
approach to consolation for the defeat of their own favorites. 
In effect, Mr. Teller was chosen by southern influence and 
elected by southern votes, since it was always within the power 
of southern members to have named their Senator. It is grati¬ 
fying to know that they recognize this fact, and for the most part 
acknowledge that no other result could have been expected in 
the existing state of affairs. In the caucus the southern candi¬ 
dates constantly polled two votes for every one cast for Mr. Teller, 
and the caucus w r as adjourned to the latest possible hour preced¬ 
ing the election, to the end that southern members might make 
their superabundant strength available by concentrating it upon 
some one of their several candidates; but it availed nothing. 


SENATOR TELLER. 


91 


Evidently their respect for and confidence in Mr. Teller was such 
that they secretly preferred to compromise on his election than 
upon one of their own candidates. 

u If this, then, is true—and certainly it is a fair assumption, 
in view of all the facts—the question of locality may be dis¬ 
missed and our Senators considered upon their personal merits 
alone. This is a far more pleasing picture, and one to which all 
Colorado can point with pride. The News asserts without fear 
of successful contradiction, and with deference to the high char¬ 
acter and eminent ability of the defeated aspirants, whether from 
the north or south, that no State ever entered the Union with a 
better representation in Congress than Colorado does with Messrs. 
Chaffee and Teller in the Senate and Judge Belford in the House. 
They are not only the peers of any men in Colorado, but they 
will not suffer by comparison with the best men in the National 
Assembly. They combine all the elements of successful repre¬ 
sentation. Mr. Chaffee is eminently a man of affairs, bringing 
to the service of the new State not only a great familiarity with 
public men and the routine of congressional labor, but a remark¬ 
able business tact and industry which will be invaluable in his 
new position. Mr. Teller supplements this with judicial and 
oratorical ability of the highest order, and force and dignity of 
character which fit him for the Senate as few men in the country 
are fitted. Both men are Coloradoans through and through, and 
so closely identified with its political and material interests in 
the most comprehensive sense that it will hardly be remembered 
against them long that they are from the same meridian of the 
State; and the circumstances of their election would pledge 
them, if pledge were needed, to well and faithfully represent the 
interests of the people with impartial favor, knowing no north 
or south, mountain or plain. So, too, our representative can 
never forget that it was the hardy miners of San Juan and the 
people of the whole south that contributed to his election, and 
he is not the man the News and the people take him to be if he 
does not repay their confidence. 

“ That there will be a momentary disappointment in the south 
at the result of the senatorial contest, and possibly some shade 
of bitterness in the comments of its press and people, may be 
expected ; but it is to be hoped that they will consider all the 
circumstances before making up their verdict. They should 
consider, too, the high character of Mr. Teller and his honorable 
course in the campaign. Had he or his friends intrigued to 
beat Chilcott, Jackson, or Hallett, the News would have de¬ 
nounced the plot, and the northern Republican members would 
have been swift to condemn it by their votes. The fact that 
their election is acquiesced in by all and hailed with pleasure 
by so many is the best evidence that Chaffee and Teller are the 
final choice of the people of Colorado for Senators/’ 









1 


